SCOTLAND

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year.

David Cairns: The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the structure of the Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate-General for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use. A copy of the chart has been placed in the House Library.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 13-14W, on official hospitality, how many individuals and organisations attended each event listed.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not have records of the number of individuals or organisations who have attended past events.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times he has met  (a) the First Minister of Scotland,  (b) the Secretary of State for Wales,  (c) the Secretary of State for Justice and  (d) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to discuss the operation of the Joint Ministerial Committee since 16 May 2007.

David Cairns: The Secretary of State regularly meets with other ministerial colleagues and discusses a range of issues, he has also met with the First Minister. Last month, I attended a preliminary meeting with the Secretary of State for Wales and the First Minister in advance of the forthcoming Joint Ministerial plenary meeting.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost.

David Cairns: No Scotland Office Ministers or officials will be attending the games.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Millennium Dome: Expenditure

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost to the public purse was of the construction and operation of the millennium dome; what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by that expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The cost to the public purse of the construction and operation of the millennium dome was nil. The construction and operation of the dome was funded from national lottery grant from the Millennium Commission and income from ticket sales and sponsorship, not from Exchequer funding.
	It is a matter of public record that the dome was completed on time, that the final cost was just 4 per cent. over budget, that it was by far the most visited paying attraction in the UK in the year 2000 and that it helped regenerate a wide area.
	I am advised that English Partnerships spent £33 million of Exchequer funding on decommissioning and maintenance of the millennium dome structure between 1999 and June 2007, with the expectation that these costs will be recovered from sale proceeds from the contract for the future use of the dome and redevelopment of associated land over the life of the project.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Democratic Unionist Party

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a list of meetings he attended with hon. and right hon. Members from the  (a) Democratic Unionist Party and  (b) Ulster Unionist Party, including those meetings at which no civil servants were present, between 31 March 2008 and 11 June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I have regular meetings and discussions with the Northern Ireland political parties and others on a wide range of subjects.

PRIME MINISTER

Democratic Unionist Party

Simon Hughes: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a list of meetings he attended with hon. and right hon. Members from the  (a) Democratic Unionist Party and  (b) Ulster Unionist Party, including those meetings at which no civil servants were present, between 31 March 2008 and 11 June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within mainland Britain by representatives of Downing street in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Gordon Brown: The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the 'Civil Service Management Code' and the 'Ministerial Code'.

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the conferences hosted by No. 10 Downing street in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1107-1110W.
	Information on Official and Charity receptions for 2007-08 will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.

Departmental Film

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister how many films have been produced in  (a) video,  (b) DVD and  (c) other digital formats by Downing street in the last 24 months; and what the title was of each film.

Gordon Brown: Films produced by my Office are available on the Downing street YouTube channel:
	http://www.youtube.com/DowningSt.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2008,  Official Report, column 624W, on departmental manpower, 
	(1)  if he will break down by pay grade members of staff listed;
	(2)  how many people are employed in the  (a) speech writing unit,  (b) international unit and  (c) direct communications unit in No. 10 Downing street.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 1 May 2008,  Official Report, column 624W.

Departmental Security

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister how many Downing street identity cards or departmental passes have been reported lost or stolen in the last 24 months.

Gordon Brown: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on security matters.

Departmental Standards

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister whether Downing street has a dress code for staff.

Gordon Brown: Staff are expected to abide by the Civil Service Code; it does not include a formal dress code.

Henley-on-Thames

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Henley-on-Thames.

Gordon Brown: A list of my UK visits will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister how many copies of the  Morning Star publication his Office procures on subscription each week; and at what cost.

Gordon Brown: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 3 June,  Official Report, column 839W.

Official Residences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  which official residences are unoccupied; and what the annual cost of maintenance is of each residence;
	(2)  which official residences are occupied; and by which minister in each case.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) and the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1135W.
	Expenditure on official residences is a matter for the relevant Department.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many officials from No. 10 Downing street plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost;
	(2)  whether he will attend the Beijing Olympic Games.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave at my monthly press conference on 1 April 2008. A transcript is available on the No. 10 website:
	http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page15167.asp
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Since 1999, the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the "Ministerial Code", and the accompanying guidance document, "Travel by Ministers". Information for 2008-09 will be published in the normal way.

Republic of Ireland: Treaty of Lisbon

Nigel Evans: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart following the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to ratify the treaty of Lisbon;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the President of the European Commission and  (b) other members of the European Commission following the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband) on 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 704, and my answers at Prime Minister's questions today.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Capital Punishment

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he holds on the number of executions which took place internationally in 2007, broken down by  (a) country and  (b) sex; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold figures on executions that have taken place around the world. Amnesty International publishes information on the minimum number of executions by country. These are available online at:
	http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ACT50/001/ 2008/en/b43a1e5a-ffea-11dc-b092-bdb020617d3d/act500012008eng.html.
	The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We have demonstrated our opposition to capital punishment by raising the issue of the death penalty with third countries and playing a key role in the successful adoption of a resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty at the UN General Assembly in 2007.
	Further details of the FCO's work on the death penalty can be found in our 2007 Human Rights annual report at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/fco-in-action/conflict/human-rights/human-rights-your-say.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) EU partners and  (b) the European Commission on the CAP common agricultural policy reform health check announced on 20 May 2008.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 5 June 2008
	My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and I, as well as officials at the UK Representation in Brussels and across our European network, are in regular contact with EU partners and the European Commission on a full range of issues.
	The Government's position on the common agricultural policy (CAP) health check is well established. We welcomed the publication of the health check proposals as a further step in the process of reforming the CAP. We are seeking an ambitious outcome that further cuts the trade distorting nature of the CAP, which has contributed to high food prices. We want reduced regulatory burdens to give farmers greater control over their business decisions and redirect more CAP spending away from direct farm payments towards delivery of targeted public benefits.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers a broad range of training opportunities for staff including courses on professional skills for Government, leadership, management and diversity as well as language and functional training. I will write to the hon. Member with a detailed list and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Departmental Video Conferencing

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many facilities for video conferencing his Department has; how much it cost to install them; how much it cost to  (a) run and  (b) maintain them in the last year for which figures are available; how many times the facilities have been used (i) since installation and (ii) in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: There are approximately 160 video conference sets deployed in Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) premises in the UK and around the world, with a further 18 planned for installation during the next few months. The most recent project delivered 76 sets at a total cost of £2.13 million, or approximately £28,000 each, including purchase, freight and installation.
	The sets are connected to the FCO's own telecommunications system and incur no specific additional transmission charge. Hitherto, the cost of maintenance has been subsumed within the FCO's annual telephony support charge and is not separately identifiable. The support arrangement for the future is being negotiated at the moment. Until this is agreed a precise figure cannot be given, but is expected to be less than 10 per cent. of the initial cost per annum.
	Prior to September 2007, the software necessary to monitor usage was not available to the FCO. The figures recorded since then, for the recently installed sets, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Month  Total hours of usage over network 
			 September 2007 268 
			 October 2007 368 
			 November 2007 491 
			 December 2007 282 
			 January 2008 491 
			 February 2008 545 
			 March 2008 405 
			 April 2008 630 
			   
			 Total 3,480

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2568W, on the Fair Trade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this expenditure was on Fair Trade products.

Meg Munn: Expenditure on refreshments can be identified only by examining individual transactions in the UK and at overseas posts for the periods concerned. The information requested is not held centrally and could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gaza: Overseas Students

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the case of Mr. Wissam Abuajwa of Gaza; and what steps he is taking to enable Mr. Abuajwa to take up his place to study in the UK.

Meg Munn: The UK is concerned that students due to study in the UK have been unable to obtain permission to leave Gaza. We have raised the issue with the Israeli authorities on a number of occasions and will continue to do so.
	As this issue also affects our European partners, we lobby Israel jointly—through the European Commission —on all such individual cases. Wissam Abuajwa's case is one of those we are collectively raising with the Israeli authorities.

Iran: Prisoners

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made any representations to the government of Iran on the detention of Dr Frood Fouladvand.

Meg Munn: We are aware of reports that Dr. Frood Fouladvand, an Iranian national resident in the UK, has been detained in Iran. On 31 May our ambassador in Tehran sought clarification of this matter in a meeting with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our embassy in Tehran followed this up with a Note Verbale on 1 June. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Political Director also raised Dr. Fouladvand's case in a meeting with the Iranian ambassador on 4 June. We will continue to follow this issue closely.

Iran: Proscribed Organisations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representations he plans to make to the EU following plans to de-proscribe the People's Mujahadeen Organisation of Iran.

Meg Munn: We have informed EU partners of the steps my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is taking to de-proscribe the People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) following the judgment by the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission and the Court of Appeal.
	We are in discussion with EU partners about the implications of the de-proscription of the PMOI in the UK for the listing of the PMOI under EU Common Position 931.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government contracts with British and Iraqi contractors comply with British and international law and are publicly accountable and transparent; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not able to comment on contracts with British and Iraqi contractors held by other Government Departments.
	All FCO contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice. The same rigorous process is followed in the contract management and performance monitoring of these contracts, through a combination of local in-country management and UK-based support.
	Contracts awarded for FCO estate works projects in Iraq are based on standard Government forms of contract which are subject to English law and jurisdiction. In general, these act in harmony with international laws to produce a code of conduct which binds contractors, both explicitly and implicitly, to the code during execution of the contract agreements.

Languages

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of those employed by his Department, other than those engaged locally, hold language qualifications in  (a) Arabic,  (b) Farsi,  (c) Dari or Pashto,  (d) Mandarin,  (e) Swahili and  (f) Japanese.

David Miliband: The following table shows the total number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff employed as of June 2008 that have a qualification in the languages specified which is recorded on the FCO management information system. Staff will have varying degrees of fluency in these languages:
	
		
			  Language  Total number of FCO staff with a language qualification recorded on the FCO management information system (June 2008) 
			 Arabic 263 
			 Farsi 21 
			 Dari or Pashto 7 
			 Mandarin 122 
			 Swahili 36 
			 Japanese 153

Nuclear Disarmament

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 3W, on nuclear disarmament, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research undertaken on verification of multilateral nuclear disarmament by AWE the Atomic Weapons Establishment in partnership with Norway and Vertic; and what the cost was of the contract with the International Institute for Strategic Studies to which reference is made.

Meg Munn: The Atomic Weapons Establishment reported to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in May on the progress of their work to date and the future direction of their studies. I will place a copy of this report in the Library of the House.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided £10,000 last financial year to support the study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies through a technical workshop. We are also prepared to offer funding for a launch event and discussion in Geneva in September.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on the use of blasphemy laws against religious minorities; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: At the UN Human Rights Council in May, the UK asked about measures to safeguard the rights of minorities in Pakistan. In reply, the Pakistani delegation reaffirmed their commitment to introduce checks to prevent abuse of the blasphemy law.

Papua: Political Prisoners

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the detention of  (a) Filep Karma,  (b) Yusak Pakage and  (c) other political prisoners in West Papua; what steps he has taken as a result of those reports; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We are aware of the detention of Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr. Manfred Novak's report, following his visit to Indonesia in 2007, includes evidence from Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage on their detention. Officials from our embassy in Jakarta have previously raised their detention with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their defence lawyer has told embassy officials that prison conditions were adequate and the two men had been treated reasonably.
	Embassy officials continue to follow closely the cases of those convicted of flag-raising and other political activities in Papua. We have urged the Government of Indonesia to uphold the rights guaranteed through the International Conventions on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Indonesia in September 2005.

Republic of Ireland: Treaty of Lisbon

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart since the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in close contact with his Irish counterpart since the result of the referendum and spoke with him in the margins of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on 16 June.

Republic of Ireland: Treaty of Lisbon

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with the (i) President of the European Commission and (ii) other members of the European Commission following the result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement to the House on 16 June on the result of the referendum in Ireland on the Lisbon treaty. The statement followed discussions with his counterparts at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on the same day.
	There will be a meeting of the European Council from!9-20 June.

Timor-Leste: Crimes Against Humanity

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Indonesian Government to ascertain the status of Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian following his indictment on 3 February 2003 by the United Nations Special Panel for Serious Crimes in Dili, East Timor, for crimes against humanity.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to hold discussions with the Indonesian Government on the status of Indonesian Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian. We believe that it is for the Indonesian and East Timorese Governments to pursue the indictment by the UN Special Panel for Serious Crimes.
	The UK has consistently expressed concern to both the Indonesian and East Timorese Governments about impunity for those responsible for human rights abuses in East Timor. These issues are pursued through their bilateral Commission for Truth and Friendship. We have encouraged both Governments to make the Commission for Truth and Friendship a process that enjoys the confidence of the victims and the international community.

Uzbekistan: Forced Labour

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report his Department has received of forced labour in Uzbekistan; and what representations his Department has made to Uzbek authorities on this matter.

Jim Murphy: The UK remains seriously concerned about allegations of the use of forced child labour in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan. The UK has raised its concerns through the EU and has discussed the issue with the Uzbek government. Most recently, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised concerns with the Uzbek Government during a visit to Tashkent in May 2008. This followed a meeting earlier this year between our ambassador in Tashkent and the Uzbek Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, which focused on cotton and child labour issues. We have also raised child labour and cotton issues with the local UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative. The UK supports calls from UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation for a "participatory assessment" involving the International Cotton Association and a number of embassies in Tashkent, which would be open to the media.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have a unified Welsh language policy, it does have a general language policy which ensures that FCO publications and communications enter into the spirit of the Welsh Language Act 1993.
	The FCO has published a number of documents over the past few years in Welsh. These include an explanatory handbook on the EU, a booklet on foreign policy and flyers describing the FCO's activities during outreach events in Wales. A Welsh language version of the Consular Guide is available electronically on the FCO website alongside several other language versions.
	On 10 July 2007 my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Jim Murphy) wrote to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Wales Office, (Huw Irranca-Davies), to explain that while the FCO does recognise the importance of the Welsh language we do not have the resources to ensure that any changes to FCO Travel Advice, which is updated regularly, would appear simultaneously in different languages.
	The FCO has access to translation services and can deal with correspondence in Welsh. Our Ministerial Correspondence Unit last received correspondence in Welsh in 2005.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to Zimbabwean officials on the arrest of leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We have told the government of Zimbabwe we strongly condemn the ongoing violence and intimidation against all Zimbabweans. Following the recent arrest of Morgan Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement calling for their immediate release. We continue to stress that all candidates and supporters should be allowed to participate safely and fully in the electoral process.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 343W on biofuels, how much of the £720,000 spent on research and development into biogas production has been spent in Wales.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA only provides grants for projects in England. Any funding spent in Wales is a devolved matter and for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide upon.
	All of the waste and resources action programme's (WRAP) research and development into biogas production has been based in England. However, the findings of WRAP'S research are pertinent to the whole of the UK and have been disseminated in Wales.
	WRAP Wales are supporting operational anaerobic digestion (AD) projects in Wales (through Welsh Assembly Government-funded capital competitions), and working closely with the AD Centre of Excellence at the university of Glamorgan, to ensure that emerging best practice is incorporated.

Carbon Emissions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations his Department  (a) has held and  (b) plans to hold on the definition of zero carbon.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 June 2008,  Official Report , column 981W.

Climate Change Bill

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discount rate was used  (a) to calculate net present value of costs and benefits of the Climate Change Bill in the final impact assessment and  (b) to calculate costs and benefits of mitigating climate change in the Economics of Climate Change by Professor Stern.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 17 June 2008
	The Climate Change Bill Final Impact Assessment complied with the Better Regulation Executive's guidance on development of Impact Assessments. This states that HM Treasury's discount rates should be applied, as set out in their publication "Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government—The Green Book". The Green Book sets out a declining discounting schedule which discounts costs and benefits for the first 30 years at 3.5 per cent. per annum, and costs and benefits for years 30 to 60 at 3 per cent. per annum.
	Professor Stern's review did not apply a single rate of discount, but rather calculated the discount rate endogenously within the analysis, varying according to the scenario.

Climate Change: Arctic

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has evaluated on trends in the area of Arctic sea ice in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) undertakes research on trends in the area of Arctic sea ice, on behalf of DEFRA, through its Integrated Climate Programme. Within this programme, which is jointly funded by DEFRA and the Ministry of Defence, trends in the area of Arctic sea ice in the last 10 years were assessed as part of a comparison between modelled estimates of the minimum extent of summer sea ice and corresponding satellite records, for the period 1979 to 2006.
	The satellite observation record shows a long-term decline in ice extent at all times of the year over recent decades, which has accelerated in the last decade; with record summer lows in 2001, 2005 and now, 2007 (at 4.13 million km(2), some 2.5 million km(2) less than a decade ago). Last year's record low in summer sea ice extent was partly explained by unusually mild weather conditions and warm sea temperatures. Most climate models underestimate this ongoing decline, but some with more sophisticated sea ice physics appear able to capture the general trend (but not recent dramatic seasonal falls in sea ice extent). The MOHC model, even though doing better than most other climate models in representing the long term decline, only predicted a drop of about 0.5 million km(2) in summer sea ice extent over the last decade.
	The strong year-to-year variability (due to short term weather factors) superimposed on this downward trend in summer sea ice area, means it is difficult to compare a single annual observed value with a long term trend in model simulations.

Floods: Housing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many houses have been identified as being at risk of flooding greater than once in 75 years in England;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of houses that will receive improved standards of flood protection funded by his Department  (a) over the next three years and  (b) within the duration of his 20 year plan on flooding;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of houses which will remain at significant risk of flooding at the end of the current spending review period; and what proposals he has to protect occupiers of such houses within his 20 year plan on flooding.

Phil Woolas: The last complete national flood risk assessment, in 2006, indicated that there were 393,000 residential properties at significant probability (probability greater than one in 75) of flooding in England.
	The proposed minimum target for the capital programme over the three years of the 2007 comprehensive spending review period (April 2008 to March 2011) is for 145,000 households to have an improved standard of protection against flooding or coastal erosion.
	During this period, the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards will collectively deliver a programme to remove 45,000 households in England from the significant flood risk band.
	The Environment Agency is developing a long term investment strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management. A 25 year strategy will identify the policies and funding needed to achieve further improvements in flood and coastal risk, together with ways to deliver these. The strategy will be published in spring 2009.

Floods: Sewers

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the resilience of sewage treatment works to flooding.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency has identified nearly 5,000 sites located in areas in England and Wales assessed by the agency as having an annual probability of flooding of one in 75 or greater. These include 737 sewage and water treatment works. This is a cautious estimate and does not take into account the specific ground elevations and other particular local factors.
	The operators of this infrastructure are responsible for contingency planning to ensure continuity of service in the event of hazards such as flooding. The Environment Agency makes available its information to help operators carry out the necessary risk assessments. The Environment Agency has also contributed to Ofwat's development of a methodology to enable water companies to assess asset resilience, with a view to informing the water company draft business plans for the next five year planning period.
	In his interim review of last year's flooding Sir Michael Pitt recommended that local resilience fora assess the vulnerability to flooding of critical infrastructure in their areas. The Environment Agency is helping with that assessment.
	We do recognise and share the concerns expressed in the Pitt interim Review about the resilience of critical infrastructure to flooding. We will consider whether any further action is necessary in the light of the final Pitt recommendations due later this month.

Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effects of the non-implementation of EC regulation 2037/2000 on ozone-depleting substances.

Phil Woolas: EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer is directly applicable in the UK and other member states of the EU. Offences and penalties for failure to comply with its provisions in Great Britain are prescribed in the Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/528) and the Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/91).

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to respond to the letters of 25 February and 6 May 2008 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West regarding his constituent Mr. I. Firth.

Phil Woolas: You originally wrote to this Department on 26 November 2007 regarding your constituent. My officials replied to your office on 22 January 2008 to advise that the correspondence had been transferred to the Scottish Executive. After you wrote to the Department on 25 February 2008, one of my officials telephoned your office to confirm that the correspondence had been transferred.

Reservoirs

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new reservoirs have been constructed in England and Wales since water privatisation.

Phil Woolas: As the enforcement authority in England and Wales for the Reservoirs Act 1975, the Environment Agency maintains a register of all large raised reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 m(3) or greater above natural ground level.
	Since water privatisation in 1989, 244 large raised reservoirs have been constructed, 232 of these in England and 12 in Wales. 37 of these reservoirs are owned by water companies, 25 of which are service reservoirs and 12 of which are 'raw water' supply reservoirs.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member of East Surrey of 8 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1067W, on biofuels, what estimate she has made of the cost of the Renewable Fuels Agency's review of the indirect impacts of biofuel production; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the Agency of  (a) the work of (i) Agency staff and (ii) external advisers on the review and  (b) the printing and publication of the report.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 11 June 2008
	 It is currently estimated that the total cost of the review that is being led by the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) will be £264,000 inclusive of VAT (see following table). Of this amount it is expected that £218,000 will be spent on work carried out by external consultants. This includes their contributing towards expert studies of evidence, evaluation of production scenarios and engaging with international stakeholders through seminars and workshop events as part of the necessary evidence gathering process. An estimate of the RFA staff costs incurred by the review has not yet been made. We anticipate that the report will be made available electronically.
	
		
			  Item  Estimated cost (to nearest £000) 
			 External consultancy 218,000 
			 Expert seminars 43,000 
			 Stakeholder workshops 3,000 
			 Total 264,000

Bus Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which bus operating companies are owned by a parent company which also owns a train operating company.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport does not keep central data on individual bus companies and their parent groups. However, to the best of our knowledge, the following bus companies operating in Great Britain are owned by the parent groups Arriva, First, Go-Ahead, National Express, Stagecoach and Keolis, all of which also own train operating companies (please note that trading names within these companies sometimes differ):
	 Arriva bus operations
	Arriva London
	Arriva Midlands
	Arriva North East
	Arriva Northumbria
	Arriva North West and Wales
	Arriva Scotland West
	Arriva Shires and Essex
	Arriva Southern Counties
	Arriva Yorkshire
	Centrebus Holdings
	Green Line
	The Original Tour
	The Heritage Fleet
	 First bus operations
	First Aberdeen
	First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
	First Bradford
	First Bristol
	First Calderdale and Huddersfield
	First Chester and The Wirral
	First Cymru
	First Devon and Cornwall
	First Eastern Counties
	First Edinburgh
	First Essex
	First Glasgow
	First Hampshire and Dorset
	First Leeds
	First Leicester
	First London
	First Manchester
	First Midland Red Buses Limited First Northampton
	First Potteries
	First Somerset and Avon
	First South Yorkshire
	First York
	 Go-Ahead bus operations
	Go South Coast
	Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company
	Go North East
	London Central
	London General
	Metrobus
	Oxford Bus Company
	 National Express bus operations
	National Express Dundee
	G&N Wishart
	National Express London
	National Express Surrey
	National Express West Midlands
	National Express Coventry
	 Stagecoach bus operations
	Stagecoach Cambridgeshire
	Stagecoach Devon
	Stagecoach East
	Stagecoach East Midlands
	Stagecoach East Scotland
	Stagecoach North East
	Stagecoach North West
	Stagecoach Merseyside
	Stagecoach Sheffield
	Stagecoach South East
	Stagecoach Oxfordshire
	Stagecoach Wales or Stagecoach de Cymru / South Wales
	Stagecoach in Warwickshire
	Stagecoach West
	Stagecoach West Scotland
	Stagecoach Yorkshire
	 Keolis bus operations
	Eastbourne Buses

Bus Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been provided by her Department to the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to support the provision of bus passes for free travel to all elderly and disabled people in Greater Manchester.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have provided £10.519 million through special grant to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive in 2008-09 to fund the improvement to England-wide for the statutory minimum concession. This is in addition to funding for concessionary travel through formula grant. The special grant funding represents a 20 per cent. increase on the amount spent on concessionary travel in Greater Manchester in 2006-07, the most recent year for which spend on concessionary travel is available.

Bus Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse of subsidising bus services was in each year since 1986.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 June 2008
	The following table shows the total cost of subsidising bus services in each year since 1986-87.
	
		
			   All support  (£ million) 
			 1986-87 847 
			 1987-88 794 
			 1988-89 822 
			 1989-90 808 
			 1990-91 884 
			 1991-92 976 
			 1992-93 993 
			 1993-94 903 
			 1994-95 921 
			 1995-96 911 
			 1996-97 896 
			 1997-98 881 
			 1998-99 986 
			 1999-2000 1,082 
			 2000-01 1,168 
			 2001-02 1,358 
			 2002-03 1,605 
			 2003-04 1,874 
			 2004-05 1,938 
			 2005-06 2,122 
			 2006-07 2,452 
		
	
	Subsidy for local bus services includes bus service operators' grant, public transport support and concessionary fare reimbursement by local authorities.

Bus Services: Fares

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in bus fares in  (a) passenger transport executive areas,  (b) other urban areas,  (c) London and  (d) other areas of England was from one year to the next in each year since 1986.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 June 2008
	The following table shows the percentage change in local bus fares in each year from 1985-86 to 2006-07 for England, London, Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) areas and other areas. Data are not available for the urban/other split requested.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   London  English PTE areas  English non-PTE areas  England 
			 1986-87 6 27 5 11 
			 1987-88 5 9 5 6 
			 1988-89 11 6 5 6 
			 1989-90 10 8 8 8 
			 1990-91 10 11 10 10 
			 1991-92 10 12 8 9 
			 1992-93 8 7 4 6 
			 1993-94 8 5 3 5 
			 1994-95 6 4 4 5 
			 1995-96 5 5 4 5 
			 1996-97 4 5 5 5 
			 1997-98 4 6 5 5 
			 1998-99 4 5 5 4 
			 1999-00 3 5 5 4 
			 2000-01 0 4 5 4 
			 2001-02 -2 5 5 4 
			 2002-03 -1 4 5 3 
			 2003-04 2 4 5 4 
			 2004-05 8 4 5 6 
			 2005-06 10 8 7 8 
			 2006-07 8 1 -4 0

Bus Services: Greater London

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will discuss with Transport for London the absence of bus stops along the western side of Parliament street near Whitehall and ask for this situation to be rectified.

Rosie Winterton: The temporary absence of bus stops on the western side of Parliament street has been due to extensive street works associated with the Whitehall Streetscape Improvement project. These are being carried out by Westminster city council on behalf of the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments in the area. The project involves major improvements to the highway including the incorporation of enhanced security measures.
	Westminster city council has consulted Transport for London and London Buses at all stages of the project. Work on the western side of Parliament street is now almost complete and buses are once again stopping in the area.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the requested information, where recorded. Spend on overseas mail is not separately recorded for the following Department for Transport organisations: Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Department for Transport London HQ
			 Speedmail/DHL Global (1)— (1)— (1)— 4,042 (2)800 9,863 4,007 
			 
			  Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Farnborough
			 TNT International (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 1,395.53 1,974.50 
			 FedEx Express (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 393.95 442.44 
			 
			  Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Derby
			 Royal Mail (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 0 0 0 324.45 
			 
			  Vehicle Certification Agency, Bristol
			 Royal Mail 7,260 9,350 8,584 5,500 4,400 7,480 5,940 
			 DHL 4,026 5,540 5,719 8,833 8,818 6,029 (4)15,840 
			 (1) Not recorded. (2) Estimated. (3) Rail Accident Investigation Branch became operational on 17 October 2005. (4) Includes one off costs of £7,205.79 incurred in shipping of branded stationery and promotional material associated with the opening of Vehicle Certification Agency India office.

Departmental Publications

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on models and photography for internal and external Departmental publications in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of models used for the photographs in the Department for Transport annual report 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Nil.

Departmental Publications

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on photographs and illustrations for the Department for Transport annual report 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department spent £2,699 excluding VAT on photographs for the annual report 2008. Other graphs and diagrams were created from the Department's data at no additional external cost.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in her Department in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following list of development opportunities are available to DfT staff:
	Absence Management;
	Accountancy;
	Assessment Centre Training;
	Avoiding Harassment and Bullying;
	Coaching;
	Coastguard training;
	Communication—Oral and Written skills;
	Coping with Traumatic Incidents;
	Customer Service;
	Data Protection;
	Diversity Awareness;
	Driving Examiner Assessment;
	Emergency Officer Training;
	Employment Law;
	European Union Training;
	Finance and Audit;
	Health and Safety;
	Impact Assessment;
	Induction for new entrants;
	Information Technology;
	Interviewee Skills;
	Language Courses;
	Leadership Skills;
	Manual Handling training;
	Marine Vessel Inspection;
	Marine Search and Rescue;
	Mentoring;
	Parliamentary Process;
	Performance Management;
	Personal Development;
	Personal Effectiveness;
	Pre-Retirement courses;
	Procurement;
	Professional Qualifications;
	Programme and Project Management;
	Recruitment and Selection Interviewing;
	Risk Assessment Training;
	Stress Management;
	Talent Management;
	Telephone Skills;
	Traffic Officer Service training;
	Transport Security Officer training;
	Vehicle Safety and Inspection.
	A good deal of these opportunities are available through the Department's training framework contract. Staff are encouraged to make full use of the framework contract to meet their development needs. However, where development needs cannot be met via the framework contract, there is flexibility for them to explore other options.

Departmental Vetting

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) UK citizens born in the UK,  (b) UK citizens born abroad and  (c) foreign nationals recruited into her Department and its agencies are subject to (i) UK and (ii) overseas criminal record checks; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's (DfT's) aim is to ensure that all employees are subject to baseline personnel security standards.
	DfT (C) and its Agencies carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), counter-terrorist check (CTC), security check (SC) and developed vetting (DV) clearance for all relevant posts where this level of clearance is necessary, for example working with vulnerable people, or in sensitive areas of the department.
	It is recognised that overseas criminal record checks are more difficult depending on the country and will not in any event be picked up by Disclosure Scotland. The Home Office is taking forward work to improve access to overseas criminal conviction data as set out in the reply by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office (Meg Hillier), to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 4 February 2008  Official Report, columns 824-5W.

Driving Tests: Southend on Sea

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when a final decision will be announced on the future of the Southend Driving Test Centre.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A decision is expected to be announced in August 2008.

Fixed Penalties: Appeals

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what method of redress is available to those who have paid a penalty charge notice subsequently found to be invalid under section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991.

Rosie Winterton: Section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991 has been repealed but any enforcement action in respect of a parking contravention observed or detected before 2400 hours on Sunday 30 March 2008 must be taken under the provisions of that Act. Those provisions included the right of the recipient of a penalty charge notice to appeal against it to an adjudicator on various grounds. If the adjudicator allowed that appeal, the adjudicator could give the authority concerned such directions as he or she considered appropriate (for example the refund of the penalty) and such directions had to be complied with by the authority.

First Great Western Trains

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason her Department specified service level reductions in respect of the present period for the franchise operated by First Great Western.

Tom Harris: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The specification for the greater western franchise was described in a stakeholder briefing document published by the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2005. Its primary objectives were to improve operational performance, and reduce the subsidy demand on taxpayers, by matching service provision more closely to demand.

First Great Western Trains: Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many carriages will be withdrawn from west of Exeter when South West Trains cease operating west of Exeter; on how many services; and what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient replacement rolling stock will be available to First Great Western.

Tom Harris: Currently, South West Trains run two trains in each direction between Exeter and Paignton, and two between Exeter and Plymouth, operating as extensions of the Waterloo-Exeter service. Each normally consists of three coaches. These extensions will cease in December 2009, when the Waterloo-Exeter train frequency is due to be increased to hourly. The Department for Transport is discussing the implications of these changes with relevant train operators and Passenger Focus, and will seek mitigation measures as necessary.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to respond to the freedom of information request of 7 February, from the hon. Member for Putney, on the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport public consultation; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The papers for this case are currently being collated. The Secretary of State for Transport expects to respond to the hon. Member shortly.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1384W, on Heathrow airport, what tasks were included in the wide range of technical work in which BAA plc participated.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As set out in the Heathrow consultation document, BAA's involvement included developing the technical basis for mixed mode operations, refining the proposals for a third runway (including supporting passenger terminal facilities and connectivity), advising on forecasting and fleet mix assumptions and leading on the surface access work. Throughout the project, BAA's expertise as the airport operator assisted in ensuring that technical issues were properly understood and accurately represented.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections her Department has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from motor vehicles in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2015,  (c) 2020 and (iv) 2025; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport published projections in October 2007 on changes in CO2 emissions from road transport in England.
	These are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Road transport 
			   In million tonnes of CO 2 
			 2010 96 
			 2015 97 
			 2025 93 
		
	
	These have been produced by applying the forecast percentage change in CO2 emissions between 2003 and 2010, 2015 and 2025 from the Department's national transport model to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's official CO2 inventory data for 2003. We have not produced a projection for 2020.
	These forecasts are in the absence of further policy measures such as the changes to vehicle excise duty announced in this years budget and the outcome of the latest round of Commission discussions on mandatory new car CO2 emissions and are consistent with what was announced in the Energy White Paper (2007). Further detail of the assumptions and policies underlying the road forecasts is available from:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/071023_AnnualForecast07.pdf.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the commitment to the Gleneagles G8 Climate Change Action Plan to use public procurement policy to accelerate market development of low-carbon vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the May 2007 Energy White Paper the Government announced that they would develop a new programme to help public sector organisations procure innovative, lower-carbon vehicles, with a view to accelerating their market development. In its initial phase the programme will have funding of £20 million and will focus on development of a lower carbon van.
	To ensure that Government lead by example we also set a new target that, by 2010-11, new passenger cars purchased by central Government Departments and their agencies for administrative purposes will on average emit 130 g/km CO2 or lower. In addition, at EU level we are working on agreement of a new directive to promote public procurement of clean and energy-efficient vehicles, without imposing unacceptable additional costs on authorities.

Motor Vehicles: Fuels

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on flexible fuel vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None, although Ministers and officials continue to engage with representatives from the automotive and fuel industries on this and on other biofuel-related issues.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which models of cars available for ministerial use are manufactured in the UK.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 June 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 8W, given to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington, East (Mr. Kemp).

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate she has made of the cost.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans for any Minister or official to attend the Beijing Olympics on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Parking: Income

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) gross and  (b) net income was from parking in each English local authority in each of the last five years; and what the balance of each authority's Parking Places Revenue Account was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the requested information on the gross and net income on parking services by each local authority in England in the last five years. Aggregate information for England is published in editions of Local Government Financial Statistics and the information is drawn from the Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns.
	The information on Parking Places Revenue Accounts is not held centrally.

Public Transport: Greater Manchester

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Oral Statement of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 22-23, on transport (Greater Manchester), how much of the funding allocated for public transport in Greater Manchester will be allocated to transport routes from East Lancashire.

Rosie Winterton: The package of public transport investment included in the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund bid, which was awarded programme entry on 9 June, is intended to support those most affected by the congestion charge scheme. Those commuting into the Greater Manchester area from neighbouring areas such as East Lancashire, and therefore affected by the charge, will also have access to, and benefit from, the planned improvements to public transport including to rail, bus and park and ride.

Public Transport: Lancashire

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the proposed East Lancashire rapid transit scheme.

Rosie Winterton: The North West Regional Transport Board has prioritised the proposed East Lancashire Rapid Transport scheme for funding as part of the North West Regional Funding Allocation. It is now for Blackburn with Darwen borough council to submit a major scheme business case to the Department for assessment.

Public Transport: Lancashire

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the cost to the local authority of regulatory approval for construction of a road-based tramway system in East Lancashire; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The cost of securing approval for funding of any major public transport scheme will depend on a number of items, such as the scale of the scheme; whether a public inquiry is necessary; and the length of time taken to secure approval. The Department contributes up to 50 per cent. of eligible preparatory costs incurred by the scheme promoter between programme entry and full approval. Guidance to local authorities on the preparation of bids for funding is available on the Department's website.

Public Transport: Per Capita Costs

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent per capita on public transport in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Most support made available by the Department for Transport to local authorities for public transport has been in the form of block grant for capital investment, and it has been for local authorities to determine how much of their overall resources should be spent on public transport.
	The following table includes per capita funding for the integrated transport capital funding allocated to Suffolk and England (outside of London) in each of the last five years. This funding is to support local authority investment in both local roads and public transport. The way funding is provided for London means there are no figures comparable to those for Suffolk available for England including London.
	The table also includes specific DFT grant funding for Suffolk and local authorities in total in England outside London. The grant are rural bus subsidy and for specific bus projects (i.e. kick-start, rural bus challenge and urban bus challenge).
	
		
			  Local transport funding per capita in Suffolk and England (outside London) 
			  £/head 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Integrated transport  
			 England 14.54 15.62 13.12 12.98 13.55 
			 Suffolk 12.32 11.56 10.97 11.31 10.17 
			   
			  Rural Bus subsidy  
			 England 1.15 1.21 1.26 1.29 1.32 
			 Suffolk 2.68 2.76 2.87 2.94 3.01 
			   
			  Bus project spend  
			 England 0.70 0.76 0.47 0.48 0.38 
			 Suffolk 0.60 0.38 0.26 0.09 0.00 
			  Note: All figures are based on 2006 population figures for England and Suffolk.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the enhancement expenditure for Control Period 4 recently published by the Office for Rail Regulation will be spent in Wales.

Tom Harris: holding answer 13 June 2008
	In the Office of Rail Regulation's draft Determination of 5 June, £19 million was assigned for infrastructure schemes to support enhanced passenger services in the Cardiff area. In addition, £5.9 million has been assigned for improvements to Welsh stations in the first tranche allocation of funding under the national stations improvement programme. Other investments in the network, including schemes under the 'Access for All' initiative, and upgrade work to the Great West Main Line, will also benefit Welsh rail passengers, either directly or indirectly.
	Rolling stock for Welsh services is a matter for the Welsh Assembly government.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to produce for the railways a specification for the control period from 2014 to 2019.

Tom Harris: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The High Level Output Specification for the railway for the years 2014-19 is due to be published in 2012, as part of a long term transport plan.

Road Traffic Offences: Fixed Penalties

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have been found to be issuing invalid penalty charge notices under section 66(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1991  (a) in London and  (b) outside London since the September 2006 decision of the High Court in the case of R v The Parking Adjudicator ex parte Barnet London Council; by what means refunds of invalid penalty charges have been issued; and what steps her Department has taken to advise the public that refunds of invalid penalty charges may be made.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has no information about the authorities that are said to have issued penalty charge notices after being advised by the Chief Parking Adjudicators of the implications of the judgment in R  v. The Parking Adjudicator ex parte Barnet London Council. If a local authority considered it appropriate to refund a penalty charge that had been paid it would need to contact the keeper using the details from their payment record or, if that was not available, from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Local authorities know that they have the power to cancel a penalty charge notice at any stage in the process and to refund a penalty charge that has been paid if they consider it appropriate.

Speed Limits

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if her Department will commission an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of speed reducing technologies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 June 2008
	 There is a wide range of speed-reducing technologies currently and prospectively available, from enforcement technologies such as safety cameras through to awareness-raising technologies such as vehicle-activated signs and intelligent speed adaptation. We monitor and undertake evaluations of promising technologies on a continuous basis.

Stansted Airport

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 432W, on carbon emissions at Stansted Airport, how many  (a) cargo and  (b) long-haul aircraft movements were included in her Department's central forecast of 3Mt carbon dioxide emissions at Stansted Airport in 2030.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Table G12 of "UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts", November 2007, available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	reports the breakdown of the 2030 central forecast of passenger air transport movements at Stansted between (a) domestic and short-haul, and  (b) long-haul. This is repeated in the following table.
	
		
			  Forecast passenger air transport movements at Stansted, 2030 
			   Thousand per annum 
			 Domestic and short-haul 470 
			 Long-haul 0 
			 Total 470 
		
	
	The same forecast includes 23,000 freighter ATMs at Stansted in 2030.

WALES

Joint Ministerial Committee

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plenary and functional meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee there have been in the last 12 months; which Ministers attended; what the subject matter was of each meeting; and what the date is of the next scheduled plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee.

Paul Murphy: No plenary meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee have been held in the last 12 months. There have been four meetings in the JMC (Europe) functional format in the last 12 months to discuss current EU business in which the devolved Administrations have an interest. There will be a meeting of the Committee in plenary format on 25 June 2008.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  when the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee will take place; and how often he expects the plenary Committee to meet thereafter;
	(2)  which Minister will take the place allotted to the Deputy Prime Minister in plenary meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee.

Paul Murphy: There will be a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee in plenary format on 25 June 2008. It is not intended that any Minister will take the place previously allotted to the Deputy Prime Minister at the meeting.
	It will be for the members of the Committee to reach agreement on timing of future meetings.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his responsibilities are for overseeing the Joint Ministerial Committee; what mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is no conflict between those responsibilities and his other responsibilities as Secretary of State; and whether he sits on the committee in the same capacity as the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Paul Murphy: The Prime Minister announced in Parliament on 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 306, that I am responsible for the Joint Ministerial Committees on devolution. This is in addition to my responsibilities as Secretary of State for Wales, but raises no conflicts with those responsibilities. I sit on the Committee as both the Minister responsible for Joint Ministerial Committees and as the Secretary of State for Wales.
	I have been pursuing with colleagues in the Government and in the devolved Administrations the reinvigoration of the JMC arrangements.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  pursuant to paragraph A1.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements Between the United Kingdom Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee, what further mechanisms there are for the Joint Ministerial Committee to deal with disputes between the Government and any or all of the devolved administrations;
	(2)  pursuant to paragraph A1.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements Between the United Kingdom Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee, whether the Joint Ministerial Committee has the power to resolve disputes between the Government and any or all of the devolved administrations, if unanimity is not reached between the parties involved;
	(3)  what procedures are in place to ensure that the positions of Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish Ministers are taken into account when disputes are brought before the Joint Ministerial Committee.

Paul Murphy: The Memorandum of Understanding and associated documents establishing the Joint Ministerial Committee make clear that the Committee will be available to try to resolve differences, although they lay emphasis on resolution bilaterally or through the good offices of the appropriate territorial Secretary of State, and make clear that the JMC is not a decision-making body. The Committee has in recent years met only in its functional format dealing with European issues, in which there has been no need to invoke formal dispute resolution processes, and accordingly the arrangements for dispute resolution have not developed beyond those set out in the founding documents. Were a dispute to be referred to the Committee that affected a number of Administrations, it would be essential for all with an interest to be involved in its resolution.

Joint Ministerial Committee: Manpower

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) full-time equivalent posts there are on the Joint Ministerial Committee Secretariat; and how many members of the Secretariat are from each Government Department and each of the devolved administrations.

Paul Murphy: Officials of the Cabinet Office and of the three devolved Administrations provide the Secretariat to the JMC alongside their other responsibilities.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been  (a) allocated to and  (b) received by each local authority under the preventing violent extremism programme.

Parmjit Dhanda: In 2007-08 the Government made the £6 million Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund available to around 70 local authorities. A table showing funding broken down by region has been deposited in the Library of the House.
	In October 2007 the Communities Secretary announced £45 million over three years for local partnerships to build resilience to violent extremism. A table setting out funding for this financial year and indicative funding for the following two years for local authorities around England has been deposited in the Library of the House.
	The first instalment of funding for the financial year 2008-09 was paid in March 2008 through the Area Based Grant (ABG), which is funded to local authorities in monthly instalments. Local authorities have therefore received three monthly instalments of the grant to date.

Community Relations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which faith groups she has advised local authorities to target through the preventing violent extremism programme.

Parmjit Dhanda: As described in the recently launched Prevent Strategy, it is cohesive, empowered and resilient communities which are best equipped to confront violent extremists. There is a role for all communities in standing together to challenge violent extremism and to support those who may be targeted by violent extremists.
	As set out in the accompanying guidance, local partners should take a "whole community" approach to ensure that this work does not inadvertently lead to pressure on vulnerable sections of the community. All communities should help to support those individuals, institutions and communities that are most vulnerable—making the most of the energy and experience of a range of groups working in faith and non-faith communities. Given the nature of the current security threat we expect local partners to work particularly closely with their Muslim communities.

Community Relations: Extremism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what her Department will spend its share of the pledged £12.5 million to help prevent extremism in communities; over what period of time her Department's share will be spent; which stakeholders will be consulted when deciding which community projects will be given funding from the budget; what the process will be to decide which organisations and projects will be given funding; how the effects of the funding will be assessed; and who will monitor those effects.

Parmjit Dhanda: The £12.5 million will be spent by the Home Office on funding projects specifically to support institutions or individuals vulnerable to radicalisation. I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Kevin Brennan) on 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 451W. This £12.5 million complements our funding for locally-led projects to build the resilience of local communities and tackle violent extremism, which will be £45 million over the next three years.

Core Cities Group: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what central funding the  (a) Core Cities Group and  (b) Thames Gateway London Partnership receives from (i) her Department and (ii) the Government Offices for the Regions.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department and its NDPB, The Housing Corporation, do not provide direct funding to the Core Cities Group.
	The Department does not provide direct funding to the Thames Gateway London Partnership as it is not an accountable body.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the current financial year.

Parmjit Dhanda: A copy of the chart of accounts and resource account codes has been deposited in the Library of the House.
	The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the Department's structure for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many permanent staff within  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies are classed as (i) staff without posts and (ii) part of a people action team.

Parmjit Dhanda: At week ending 13 June, 49 permanent staff within the Department are classed as without a permanent post and all are part of a people action team known as the Career Transition Centre
	Seven permanent staff within the Department's agencies are classed as without a permanent post and all are part of a people action team.

Departmental Official Visits

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what records her Department's travel booking service holds of visits organised through the service by her Department's representatives.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department uses various booking services for all of its travel requirements as well as allowing staff to book their own travel. As is common within the industry booking services/travel agents hold details on destinations, type of travel and cost.

Departmental Planning Permission

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) planning applications and  (b) licensing applications her Department has submitted in the last 24 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: Two planning applications were submitted to the London borough of Westminster in June 2006. One for the installation of CCTV cameras at Ashdown House, 123 Victoria street, London SW1E 6DE, and one for the installation of CCTV cameras at Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU.
	No licensing applications have been submitted in the last 24 months.
	This answer does not include land and buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments, CLG's Government Agencies or NDPB's.

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reviews of regulation the Audit Commission has conducted or commenced since July 2007; and in which areas.

Iain Wright: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 18 June 2008:
	Your question on the reviews of regulation conducted by the Audit Commission has been passed to me for reply. The Commission has not commenced any review of regulation since July 2007, but in 2006 we published two discussion papers on regulation—'Assessment of local services beyond 2008' and 'The future of regulation in the public sector'—and I am enclosing copies for your information. In addition to this, we have also contributed to reviews of housing and health regulation.
	In November 2007, we and several other inspectorates consulted widely on the scope and framework for Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and will be publishing a further consultation later this year. CAA is the new assessment framework for local services required by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, Building on the demonstrable improvements in councils and other local public services in recent years, CAA will mark the cessation of several existing assessment regimes, including the Audit Commission's own Comprehensive Performance Assessment of local authorities and will significantly reduce the number of inspections of local public services. Where these are required, they will be proportionate, will draw on far fewer national performance indicators and will be coordinated between inspectorates. This regime of minimal inspection will be balanced by a more integrated and, therefore, often more challenging, judgement on the overall quality of services. We also intend to continue to add value by using our findings to share good practice quickly and accessibly.
	I will be happy to discuss the Commission's work in any of these areas with you, if you would find that helpful.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies spent on training courses for staff in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department and its agencies' expenditure on training courses over the last 12 months and five years respectively is shown as follows. The figures do not include the Government offices.
	
		
			  Training expenditure 
			  £ 
			   12 months  5 years 
			 Communities and Local Government 2,113,043 (1)10,037,245 
			 Agencies 636,151 4,533,078 
			 (1 )This figure includes expenditure incurred by the former ODPM

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in her Department in the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has made available to its staff the following training opportunities, among others:
	Centrally managed programmes (e.g. induction, coaching, mentoring, dignity and respect, analysis and use of evidence, working with ministers and managing performance);
	Professional qualifications (e.g. finance, planning and human resources);
	Cabinet Office/NSG Sponsored programmes (Top Management programme, High Potential Development programme, Preparing for Top Management and Leaders UnLtd);
	Princes Trust Leadership programme;
	Open public scheduled training courses (job related/personal development);
	and
	E-learning programmes.
	The Department promotes the value of training and development and a large proportion of staff have taken advantage of the centrally managed programmes in the last 12 months.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the euro changeover plan of  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies was last updated; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of each.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Communities and Local Government's Euro Changeover Plan was last updated in June 2007. A list of Communities and Local Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies that produced a euro changeover plan along with the dates these were produced is provided as follows:
	
		
			   Agency/NDPB 
			  (a) Executive agencies  
			 September 2004 Government Offices/Regional Co-ordination Unit 
			 September 2004 Planning Inspectorate 
			 September 2004 The Fire Service College 
			 June 2004 QEII Conference Centre 
			   
			  (b) Non-departmental public bodies  
			 August 2004 Valuation Tribunal Service 
			 August 2004 English Partnership 
			 September 2004 Housing Corporation 
			 June 2004 Audit Commission 
			 September 2004 The Standards Board for England 
			 September 2004 Ordnance Survey 
		
	
	The Communities and Local Government Euro Changeover Plan was placed in the House of Commons Library in February 2006.
	There are no plans at present to place a copy of Communities and Local Government euro changeover plan 2007 or those of its agencies and NDPB's in the Library.

Eco-towns: Leicestershire

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when  (a) she,  (b) the Housing Minister and  (c) officials in her Department (i) have visited and (ii) plan to visit the proposed eco-town site in Harborough; and which officials have already visited the site.

Caroline Flint: I am currently planning a programme of visits to all the shortlisted eco-town locations over the next couple of months, and this will include the eco-town site at Harborough. At least two officials in my Department have visited the proposed site.

Fire Services: Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire officers were hospitalised as a result of being assaulted while on duty in each of the last three years, broken down by region.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not held centrally.

Fire Services: Death

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters died on duty in each fire authority in each year since 1986; and how many of these deaths were  (a) the result of attendance at (i) fire, (ii) road traffic and (iii) other incidents,  (b) occurred while the firefighter was undertaking training and  (c) resulted from natural causes.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information requested is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Firefighter deaths while on duty, England 1986-87 to 2007-08 
			   While attending to: 
			   Fires  Road traffic incidents  Other incidents  Natural causes  During training  Other  Total 
			 1986-87 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 1987-88 2 0 0 0 0 3 5 
			 1988-89 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 
			 1989-90 0 0 0 3 1 1 5 
			 1990-91 2 0 0 0 0 3 5 
			 1991-92 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 
			 1992-93 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 
			 1993-94 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 
			 1994-95 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 1995-96(1) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 1996-97 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 
			 1997-98 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 
			 1998-99 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 1999-2000 0 0 1 0 0 3 4 
			 2000-01 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 
			 2001-02 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 2002-03(2) 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 
			 2003-04 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 2004-05 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 2005-06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2006-07(3) 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 
			 2007-08 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 (1) Excludes one firefighter who died attending a non-fire incident while off duty. (2) Excludes one firefighter who died attending a fire, while off duty. (3) Excludes one retired firefighter who died while attending a fire.

Fire Services: Fuels

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency plans are in place to ensure the provision of fuel for fire service vehicles during periods of fuel shortages.

Parmjit Dhanda: Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the fire and rescue service is required to plan for contingencies, and this includes planning for dealing with interruptions in fuel supplies. Typically they do this by maintaining their own stores of diesel, sufficient to see them through an extended period of disruption. As a member of the Local Resilience Forum they also work with other local emergency responders to co-ordinate their planning against such contingencies.

Fire Services: Fuels

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on the supply of fuel to fire appliances during the strike by fuel supply drivers.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has received no such representations.

Fire Services: Standards

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average fire appliance response time was to primary fires for each fire and rescue service in England measured from first fire appliance mobilised to first attendance of the fire appliance in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following table, shows the average response times of fire and rescue services in England in 2006, from mobilisation to attendance for primary fires. Data for the 2007 calendar year are not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average response times to primary fires( 1)  by FRS area, England, 2006 
			  FRS area  Average response time 
			  England 7.22 
			   
			  England—Non-met counties 7.98 
			 Avon 7.79 
			 Bedfordshire 7.29 
			 Berkshire 7.67 
			 Buckinghamshire 8.52 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.67 
			 Cheshire 7.63 
			 Cleveland 5.57 
			 Cornwall 9.83 
			 Cumbria 8.74 
			 Derbyshire 7.75 
			 Devon 7.48 
			 Dorset 8.14 
			 Durham 8.16 
			 East Sussex 6.85 
			 Essex 7.89 
			 Gloucestershire 9.05 
			 Hampshire 7.52 
			 Hereford and Worcester 8.49 
			 Hertfordshire 7.12 
			 Humberside 6.44 
			 Isle of Wight 7.22 
			 Kent 7.51 
			 Lancashire 6.90 
			 Leicestershire 7.88 
			 Lincolnshire 10.25 
			 Norfolk 9.09 
			 North Yorkshire 8.69 
			 Northamptonshire 7.67 
			 Northumberland 8.33 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.64 
			 Oxfordshire 9.08 
			 Shropshire 8.54 
			 Somerset 9.67 
			 Staffordshire 8.78 
			 Suffolk 9.22 
			 Surrey 8.49 
			 Warwickshire 8.05 
			 West Sussex 8.59 
			 Wiltshire 9.79 
			 Isles of Scilly 7.30 
			   
			  England—Met counties 6.37 
			 Greater Manchester 6.77 
			 Merseyside 6.14 
			 South Yorkshire 6.93 
			 Tyne and Wear 5.47 
			 West Midlands 6.24 
			 West Yorkshire 7.02 
			 Greater London 5.53 
			 (1) A small number of incidents with response time greater than an hour have been excluded so that results are not skewed by likely reporting errors.

Floods: Finance

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received from local authorities on meeting the costs of the floods of summer 2007; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Consultation with local authorities and others closed on 29 May 2008 for the new Restoration Fund, which Government have been able to make available following a successful bid to the European Union Solidarity Fund.
	Local authorities are currently being asked to supply data on the costs they have incurred, to help inform decisions about payments from the Restoration Fund. I intend to make announcements on funding allocations before the parliamentary summer recess.

Green Belt: South East

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1393W, on the green belt, if she will reject the South East Plan Examination in Public Panel's proposals to remove green belt protection in  (a) Blackwater Valley,  (b) Elmbridge,  (c) Guildford,  (d) Oxford,  (e) Redhill and Reigate,  (f) Tandridge, (h) Tunbridge Wells and  (i) Woking.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is currently considering the report of the independent panel into the examination of the draft regional spatial strategy and it would be inappropriate to comment on what may or may not be included in any proposed changes.

Homelessness

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were classed as homeless in each of the last three years, broken down by region.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Information collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Since 1998, information has also been collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night.
	National and regional data on acceptances and temporary accommodation are published in our quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness. This is published on our website and placed in the Library of the House each quarter. The latest release was published on 12 June 2008, and provides national and regional acceptance figures in Table 3, and temporary accommodation figures in Table 7, both back to 1997:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/840324.xls
	Rough sleeping figures are also published on our website, back to 1997:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/152200.xls
	A set of more detailed homelessness tables have been deposited in the Library of the House which gives a summary of rough sleeper estimates by Government office region.

Housing: Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the publication of responses to the consultation on whether to remove permitted development rights to households paving over front gardens.

Iain Wright: The Government published a summary of responses to a consultation on proposals for changes to householder permitted development rights on 29 November last year. The analysis showed that 68 per cent. of those that responded on this issue favoured some form of national restriction on the paving over of front gardens. The document is available on the department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/householderpermitted.
	The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on 7 February as part of the Government's Water Strategy, "Future Water", our intention to impose a restriction on permitted development rights relating to the paving of front gardens. The interim impact assessment that accompanied the announcement can be found at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/permeablesurfacing.
	Changes to permitted development rights will come into force on 1 October this year.

Local Authorities: Codes of Practice

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been provided to local authorities on drawing up codes of conduct for local authority employees in the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has not in the last five years provided any guidance to local authorities in relation to codes of conduct for local authority employees.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many copies of the  Morning Star her Department and each of its agencies procures via subscription each week; and at what cost.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department and its agencies do not have subscriptions in place for the  Morning Star.

North-West

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding has been allocated by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies to  (a) Lancashire and  (b) north-west england in each year since 1997; and for what purpose the funds were allocated in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Information on funding provided by the Department to the Lancashire area as a whole is not available other than at disproportionate cost. The main elements of funding provided by Communities and Local Government and its predecessor departments to Lancashire county council since 2002-03 are listed in the following table, (figures in £ millions). Information for earlier years is not readily available.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Revenue support grant(1) 347.7 406.9 445.4 430.4 36.0 33.4 33.3 
			 National non-domestic rates 303.3 303.0 287.2 349.1 186.7 199.1 239.1 
			 Housing market renewal fund(2) — 6.6 22.8 43.2 46.0 48.8 52.0 
			 Local area agreements/area based grant(3) — — — — — 25.6 52.3 
			 Supporting people(4) 0.7 31.5 31.7 29.9 29.4 29.7 29.7 
			 Public service agreement performance fund — 1.9 0.1 — 7.9 7.4 — 
			 (1) Prior to 2006-07 support for schools was included in formula grant; from 2006-07 onwards support for schools has been provided via dedicated schools grant which is paid through the Department for Schools and Families and is not shown here. (2) Funding paid to Lancashire county council as accountable body for the East Lancashire housing market renewal pathfinder. The amount shown against 2003-04 was a payment covering 2002-03 and 2003-04. (3) Payments were made via local area agreements in 2007-08 and area based grant in 2008-09. (4) The Supporting People programme went live in April 2003. Prior to this date the Government contributed towards administration costs of establishing the programme. 
		
	
	There were also a number of smaller payments made, amounting to no more than £3 million in total in any one year.
	In addition, English Partnerships, an NDPB sponsored by Communities and Local Government, provided funding of £0.4 million to Lancashire county council in 2005-06 in respect of Whittingham hospital. Amounts paid by English Partnerships in other years were negligible.
	Information on public expenditure by region is published in "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008 (HC 489)."

Office for National Statistics: Finance

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 June 2008, on the Migration Impacts Plan, whether the £12 million programme led by the Office for National Statistics to improve population and migration data entails additional monies and new activities or whether it is part of the Office for National Statistics' ongoing Improving Migration and Population Statistics Project.

Parmjit Dhanda: The £12-million funding announced over a three-year period comprises additional resources that the Office for National Statistics has itself committed, that are on top of the resources it was already planning to spend on an ongoing basis to improve its population and migration statistics, and new contributions from Government Departments. The programme includes new activities, as well as some extensions to existing work.

Ordnance Survey: Manpower

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many qualified solicitors Ordnance Survey employs  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time in its legal department.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey currently employs six full-time and two part-time qualified solicitors in its legal department.

Ordnance Survey: Manpower

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are employed by Ordnance Survey  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time in (i) an account management and (ii) a sales role.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey employs 63 full-time staff employed in a sales role of whom 37 are account managers. No part-time staff are employed in these roles.

Ordnance Survey: Manpower

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many permanent and contract staff at Ordnance Survey (OS) are involved in drafting and reviewing OS licences.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey has three permanent qualified solicitors who each spend approximately 25 per cent. of their time drafting or amending Ordnance Survey's licences for its products. Ordnance Survey has one permanent paralegal who spends approximately 60 per cent. of their time populating standard licence agreements. Ordnance Survey also has four permanent Licence Development Managers who each spend approximately 50 per cent. of their time working on proposals to develop new, or to amend existing, licences.

Regional Spatial Strategies: Green Belt

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes to green belt designation the  (a) draft South East Regional Spatial Strategy and  (b) inspector's report proposes; and in which locations in the South East would designated green belt be reviewed or removed.

Parmjit Dhanda: The draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East made no recommendations for a review of the green belt. The Independent Panel Report, published in August 2007, made recommendations regarding a selective review of green belt boundaries in;
	(i.) The metropolitan green belt to the North East of Guildford, and possibly to the South of Woking and
	(ii). In the Oxford green belt to the South of the city.
	It also recommended boundary review in the area of the former 'Defence Evolution and Research Agency' site at Chertsey and smaller scale local reviews in other locations, including around Redhill-Reigate.
	The Secretary of State is currently considering the recommendations of the Panel Report.

Somerset County Council: Manpower

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the workforce of Somerset county council was in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The full-time equivalent staff numbers as at March each financial year are:
	
		
			   Staff numbers 
			 2003-04 11,719 
			 2004-05 11,956 
			 2005-06 12,377 
			 2006-07 (1)13,303 
			 2007-08 (1)13,293 
			 (1 )Includes all adult learning tutors.

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department is contributing to the £140 million fund announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to provide free swimming.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 16 June 2008
	 The Department for Communities and Local Government will contribute £5 million in 2009-10 and 2010-11—a total of £10 million.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the area of land  (a) in total and  (b) per Traveller which needs to be provided for Travellers in (i) England, (ii) the South West, (iii) Devon and (iv) the National Parks.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government published a good practice guide on designing Gypsy and Traveller sites on 15 May which recognises that there is no one-size-fits-all measurement for pitches on which Gypsy and Traveller families occupying caravans on public sites live. However, in "Common Ground: Equality, good race relations and sites for Gypsies and Travellers" the Commission for Racial Equality estimated that less than one square mile of land was needed to provide accommodation for Gypsy and Traveller caravans on unauthorised sites in the whole of England.

Travelling People: East of England

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what studies of movements in the Gypsy and Traveller population her Department undertook ahead of the consultation on the single issue review of the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy.

Iain Wright: The draft proposals prepared by the East of England regional assembly (EERA) were informed by the completion of Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs) prepared by the local authorities in the region. The Department published guidance in October 2007 on the preparation of GTAAs. The guidance highlights the need to take account of the mobility of Gypsies and Travellers between areas, and that partnership working should help to develop a better understanding of migration into, out of, and within the survey area.
	The EERA proposals will be subject to an Examination in Public commencing in October 2008.

Travelling People: East of England

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projections have been made of the growth of the Gypsy and Traveller population in the east of England by  (a) 2011 and  (b) 2050.

Iain Wright: The East of England regional assembly has prepared a single issue review on "Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation" in the East of England. The draft strategy considers the need for Gypsy and Traveller sites up to 2011. After 2011, the strategy proposes that provision should be made on the basis of an annual increase of 3 per cent. in the level of overall pitch provision. This draft strategy was subject to public consultation earlier this year and will be considered at an Examination in Public in October 2008.
	There has been no projection of the growth of the Gypsy and Traveller population in the East of England by 2050.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals have been received from  (a) EU partners and  (b) EU institutions on (i) a common EU list of safe countries of origin, (ii) harmonisation of member state criteria for asylum and (iii) a central EU asylum office; what the Government's policy is on such proposals; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) and the Tampere European Council (1999) committed member states to a broad range of measures towards establishing a Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Components forming the first phase of the CEAS have been agreed, including the Asylum Procedures Directive (2005/85/EC).
	Article 29 of which contains provisions for a minimum common list of third countries regarded as safe countries of origin. An EU list could be established following a successful vote under qualified majority vote by Council but to-date no proposals for the countries that could form an EU list have been made.
	Criteria establishing minimum standards for the granting of international protection status are contained with the Qualification Directive (2004/83/EC).
	The Hague Programme (November 2004) started the second phase of the CEAS process. The European Commission presented a Communication on Strengthened Practical Cooperation in the area of Asylum (February 2006) and a Green Paper on the future CEAS (June 2007). The latter sought the views of interested parties on the future direction of the CEAS, including the possible development of a European Support Office to oversee all forms of cooperation between member states. No proposals have been made as yet and when they are we will judge them on their individual merits. The European Commission will shortly present a policy plan on asylum for further discussion, a copy of which will be deposited with the appropriate Committees in both Houses for scrutiny. We retain the right to opt-in to future proposals for legislative measures on a case-by-case basis and will do so where it is in the UK's interests.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total saving the e-Borders programme is expected to generate for the public purse.

Liam Byrne: e-Borders is an evolutionary system of intelligent passenger management that will improve the security, efficiency and effectiveness of the UK's borders. Amongst other benefits, it will allow the border agencies to:
	Identify potential threats to public security and take the necessary action;
	Increase our efficiency in moving people through our borders, and allow us to manage the exponential growth in passenger numbers;
	Detain people immediately on identification at the border, increasing operational effectiveness and potentially reducing operational costs in doing so.
	The use of e-Borders (over existing systems) is expected to generate projected savings for the Government of approximately £692 million over 25 years.
	The financial costs of implementing e-Borders may outweigh the financial benefits; however e-Borders is about more than financial gains.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the projected total cost is of the e-Borders programme.

Liam Byrne: The current projected total cost of the e-Borders programme is £1.2 billion.
	The projected costs of £1.2 billion include Semaphore and IRIS while they were pilot projects.
	This figure also includes both capital and revenue forecast to the end of the contract, and actual costs from the start of the programme in 2004 up to the end of 2007-08.

British Nationality (Honorary Citizenship) Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what files are held by her Department on the British Nationality (Honorary Citizenship) Bill of Session 1988-89; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: There is a UK Border Agency file which holds papers produced when this Bill, which sought to give honorary British nationality to any individual for outstanding humanitarian services in Hungary between July 1944 and January 1945, was introduced in 1989.
	At the current time, the British Nationality Act 1981 provides for the acquisition of British citizenship for those who have a close and continuing connection with the United Kingdom. The Green Paper 'The Path to Citizenship', contains proposals to extend this further by setting out the need for those wishing to become naturalised to speak English, spend minimum periods contributing economically and being self-sufficient, obeying the law and joining in with the community. We are not intending to make any changes which would enable a person to acquire citizenship on an honorary basis.

British Nationality: Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for determining the questions asked as part of the Life in the UK Test; and whether she plans to endorse particular publications as recommended revision materials for those taking the Test.

Liam Byrne: Questions asked in the Life in the UK test were drawn up by experts in computer-based assessment from Ufi (the organisation that holds the current contract for providing the testing service) and representatives from the Advisory Board for Naturalisation and Integration. The current database of test questions was approved by Ministers.
	Test questions are based on the official handbook "Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship" which contains everything applicants need to know in order to take the test. This is the only publication we endorse.

Communications Directorate

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the function is of her Department's  (a) Stakeholder Strategy Unit and  (b) Strategy and Insight Unit within the Communication Directorate; and how many staff work in each.

Liam Byrne: The function of the Stakeholder Strategy Unit is to improve the way the Home Office works with and listens to its stakeholders, supporting Ministers, the Home Office Board and business units on all aspects of partnership working, seven staff work in the unit.
	The Strategy and Insight Unit lead in the development of the central Home Office communications strategy, acting as the central hub for communication planning research, audience insight and campaign evaluation. They provide strategic communications planning advice to teams embedded within delivery groups/agencies and the Communication Directorate, five staff work in the unit.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year.

Liam Byrne: A copy of the Department's chart of accounts has been placed in the Library. The resource account codes and usage descriptions are an inherent part of the chart of accounts and have not been placed separately.
	The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the Department's structure for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many permanent staff within  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies are classed as (i) staff without posts and (ii) part of a people action team.

Liam Byrne: The position as at 31 May 2008 is shown in the following table. The 62 members of staff classified as being without posts represent 0.22 per cent. of the total Home Office work force.
	These staff are currently undertaking work for the Department while actively seeking other permanent posts, either within the Home Office and its agencies, or in another Government Department.
	
		
			  Staff classified as without posts, and staff working on their redeployment 
			   Staff classified as without posts  Staff working exclusively on the redeployment of those without posts 
			 Home Office HQ 16 2 
			 UK Border Agency 46 5 
			 Identity and Passport Service 0 0 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 0 
			
			 Total 62 7

Departmental Planning Permission

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) planning applications and  (b) licensing applications her Department has submitted in the last 24 months.

Liam Byrne: This information is not recorded or held centrally.

Departmental Publications

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public information booklets were published by her Department in 2007; and what the  (a) print run and  (b) cost to the Department was in each case.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office publishes advice for the public on crime prevention and the criminal justice system. The following table presents the title of each publication, the print run and the cost to the Department in each case for the financial year 2007-08.
	
		
			  Subject  Publication title  Print run  Cost (£) 
			 Crime prevention advice Student Survival Guide 510,000 28,865.00 
			  Be Safe, Be Secure 900,500 92,005.00 
			  Keep it safe, keep it hidden, keep it locked 10,000 1,320.00 
			  Your business: Keep crime out of it 100,000 15,039.00 
			  Keep your child safe on the internet 20,000 2,629.00 
			  A guide to Home Security 700,000 29,777.00 
			  Distraction Burglary - Guide for carers 110,000 8,541.50 
			  How to beat the bogus caller 830,000 24,910.00 
			  Neighbourhood Watch Good Ideas booklet 210,000 22,595.30 
			  Steer Clear of Car Crime 700,000 27,885.00 
			  Steer clear of cycle theft 10,000 1,904.00 
			  Steer clear of Plant theft 20,000 2,871.00 
			  Steer clear of Bike theft 100,000 6,542.00 
			  Steer Clear of Truck Theft 20,000 2,581.00 
			 
			 Criminal Justice System advice Young Witness Pack: Your Child is a Witness 10,000 4,198.00 
			  Young Witness Pack - Going To Court 10,000 7,523.00 
			  Young Witness Pack - Being a Witness 5,000 2,992.00 
			  Young Witness Pack Going to Magistrates Court 3,000 3,181.00 
			  Witness in Court 150,000 16,310.00 
			  Giving a witness statement to the Police 150,000 8,238.00 
			  Inside Justice Brochure 39,000 9,659.00 
			  Vulnerable Witnesses Intermediary Scheme 1,000 3,086.00 
			 Total   322,651.80

Departmental Transport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when each of her Department's and its agencies' green transport plans were introduced; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each such plan.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office and its agencies do not have a corporate green travel plan. The Home Office is working towards the Government target of reducing its carbon emissions from road vehicles by 15 per cent. by 2010-11.
	In some cases individual buildings/sites have a travel plan tailored to that specific location. At the new Home Office building, Vulcan House in Sheffield a green transport plan was produced for staff as part of meeting the city council planning requirements for the new UK 'Border Agency' buildings there. The travel plan was submitted to the planners in January 2008 and covers approximately 1,800 staff.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by the Department and  (b) within the sector for which she has policy responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department's procurement policy and procedures currently support Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) through continuous improvement in sustainable development which includes coverage of social issues.
	The base level of responsibility is legal compliance in line with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. In addition the Department's policy is to encourage the adoption of CSR beyond minimum legal standards by considering material social factors in investment decisions where they are relevant to the contract.
	When developing specifications and procurement strategies, purchasing staff take into account social factors and incorporate them into the procurement process where they are relevant to the subject of the contract. Staff take the requirements of equality and diversity legislation into account when drafting specifications, developing evaluation criteria, sourcing suppliers, inviting bids and drafting contracts. Where it is relevant to the contract, an equality impact assessment is undertaken to ensure compliance with legal requirements.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 441W, on the Fairtrade initiative, how much her Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this total was spent on Fairtrade products.

Liam Byrne: The Department's expenditure on refreshments is set out in the following table, 2006-07 being the most recent 12-month period for which there are audited figures.
	The Home Office systems do not identify separately the origin of products and the percentage of expenditure on Fairtrade products can be calculated only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £ 
			   Expenditure 
			 2004-05 268,999 
			 2005-06 323,061 
			 2006-07 91,829

Illegal Fuel Laundering: Prosecutions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for the operation of illegal fuel laundering plants in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years; and what the average sentence handed down by the courts was for that offence.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	For the period in question, the numbers of people prosecuted and convicted of the operation of illegal fuel laundering plants in Northern Ireland are:
	
		
			   Number prosecuted  Number convicted 
			 June 2006-May 2007 0 0 
			 June 2007-May 2008 3 3 
		
	
	The average sentence handed down by the courts in Northern Ireland for these convictions is 11.5 months imprisonment, suspended for three years.
	The number of people convicted in relation to hydrocarbon oils fraud in Northern Ireland during the period 2007-08 will be published in the HMRC autumn performance report 2008, later this year.
	Criminal investigation and prosecution for hydrocarbon oils offences form only one part of HMRC's overall approach to tackling oils fraud, together with the investigation/prosecution of wider oils excise offences, combined with a strong regulatory control system and the civil penalties regime.

Human Trafficking

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms exist for  (a) joint working and  (b) liaison between the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Scottish Crime, and Drug Enforcement Agency on matters relating to human trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: There is close formal and informal liaison between SOCA and the SCDEA, who work together to tackle all forms of serious organised crime, including human trafficking.
	SOCA and the SCDEA are members of the Scottish Government-led Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and attend the ACPOS 'Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland' Crime Business Area meetings. Both agencies participate in the Scottish Tasking and Co-ordination (STC) regime.
	The Scottish Strategic Tasking and Co-ordination (SSTC) group commissions the Scottish Strategic Assessment and that sets the priorities for operational activity aimed at the arrest or disruption of serious organised criminals—including those who commit organised immigration crime. The Tactical Tasking and Co-ordination group is mandated to seek joint operational outcomes against those priorities and both agencies are members of that group.

Immigration

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether production of an NHS medical card is accepted by her Department as evidence of residence in the UK.

Liam Byrne: NHS cards are acceptable as one piece of evidence of residence in the UK, but could not be accepted as sole evidence of UK residence.

Immigration

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances those claiming UK residence are asked by her Department to obtain a letter from a GP confirming surgery registration.

Liam Byrne: There are no circumstances where an applicant is specifically required to produce evidence of GP surgery registration when applying for settlement. However, this document may be one of a number of examples the applicant may choose to submit.

Immigration

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to implement the decision of the Immigration Judge promulgated on 15 January in the case of Master C. J. R. versus Entry Clearance Officer (Kingston) (references OA/24150/2007 and KGN/125259).

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 June 2008
	A copy of the Immigration Judge's determination of 15 January 2008 in the case of Master C.J.R. was sent by email to the British high commission in Kingston Jamaica on 13 June 2008 so that the decision may be implemented.

Immigration

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken on the case of Mr. A. U. of Monks Risborough (reference TN3/390773; U1030958) following the decision of Queen's Bench division of the Administrative Court (AA/08277/2007) to reject her appeal against the decision of the Senior Immigration Judge.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 13 June 2008.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets are set for maximum waiting times at  (a) EU and  (b) non-EU immigration desks at (i) Heathrow, (ii) Stansted and (iii) Gatwick airports; what performance was achieved against these targets in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 12 June 2008.

Intelligence Services

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what active operations members of security forces of foreign states are permitted to undertake in the UK; and what restrictions apply to them.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 28 April 2008
	Any activity is permitted as long as it is in accordance with law.

Members: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the UK Border Agency to respond to the letter dated 18th April 2008 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood sent on behalf of Sumithra Wickramage (acknowledgement reference B14770/8, Home Office reference W227390).

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2008.

Rape

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on  (a) increasing the proportion of rapes reported to the police and  (b) increasing women's access to rape crisis centres since January 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse, published in April 2007 set out the Government's actions to tackle sexual violence for 2007-08 by maximising prevention, increasing access to support services for victims and improving the response of the criminal justice system. An update on progress for 2007-08 and an action plan for 2008-09 will be available by the summer.
	In order to increase reporting to the police, it is necessary to ensure that victims are supported adequately and can have confidence in the criminal justice system. Key actions to increase reporting to the police and improve access to rape crisis centres since January 2008 have included:
	Grants of £75,000 made to each of the sexual violence umbrella groups: The Survivors Trust and Rape Crisis England and Wales.
	Grants of £1.25 million from the Victims Fund allocated to 40 voluntary sector organisations providing services for victims of sexual violence and abuse.
	Continued funding for existing independent sexual violence advisers announced.
	Capital funding allocated to existing sexual assault referral centres.
	£1 million announced to support rape crisis centres.
	An indicator on support services for victims of sexual violence included in the National Indicator Set.
	A joint police/Crown Prosecution Service protocol on investigating and prosecuting rape developed and seminars given.
	The CPS Policy Statement on Rape has been updated and is shortly to be put out for public consultation.
	Continued visits to police force areas by the joint Association of Chief Police Officers/Home Office expert support team and action plans initiated in every area.
	Continued monitoring of police and CPS performance on rape by the Rape Performance Group.
	A conference on rape to be attended by chief constables in July.

Security Industry Authority

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Security Industry Authority on the composition of the regulator's executive board.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 12 June 2008
	The Secretary of State has the power, under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, to appoint the Board of the Security Industry Authority (SIA). In 2007, Home Office Ministers decided, following discussions with the chair of the SIA, to appoint two additional members with expertise relevant to the Private Security Industry and Scotland. Following an open competition, two additional members, Linda Sharpe and Bill Matthews, were subsequently appointed with effect from 1 April 2008.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 178371, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 9th January, on entry clearances.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 343-44W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will provide a substantive response to question 207620, tabled by the hon. Member for Ilford South on 20 May 2008 on the MPs' UK Visas Hotline.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 353W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Poverty Unit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the joint Child Poverty Unit has met.

Stephen Timms: Members of the unit work closely together day to day, whether physically side by side or through frequent e-mail and phone contact. As well as attending ministerial meetings, they have held numerous meetings with external stakeholders, and seminars on tackling child poverty (some jointly hosted with lobby organisations or think tanks) for local authorities and others. They have also hosted cross-Whitehall Stakeholder Group meetings, and attended Four Countries meetings.

Child Poverty Unit: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people work full-time for the joint Child Poverty Unit.

Stephen Timms: The Child Poverty Unit currently comprises 19 staff, 18 of whom are full-time.

Child Support Agency: Pay

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average salary paid to Child Support Agency staff was in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mark Grimshaw, dated 18 June 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently out of the office on business, I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average salary paid to Child Support Agency staff was in each of the last 10 years.
	The Agency does not routinely collate the required information on basic salary costs to undertake the analysis requested without incurring a disproportionate cost. However, information on the number of people employed by the Agency and total staff costs is routinely published in the Child Support Agency Annual Report & Accounts.
	The table below details the average staff costs, which includes wages, salaries, superannuation, national insurance and pension contributions as well as bonus payments, paid to Agency people in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Average number of staff employed  Average staff cost (£) 
			 1997-98 8,400 17,200 
			 1998-99 8,200 17,300 
			 1999-2000 8,500 18,000 
			 2000-01 9,200 17,200 
			 2001-02 9,500 19,200 
			 2002-03 10,300 20,400 
			 2003-04 10,200 21,100 
			 2004-05 10,200 21,500 
			 2005-06 10,400 23,000 
			 2006-07 11,400 23,800 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made by the Child Support Agency in meeting its Operational Improvement Plan debt recovery targets  (a) to collect at least £113 million of additional debt via the use of external private debt collection agencies by March 2009 and  (b) to collect at least £110.8 million of additional debt using internal resources by March 2009.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mark Grimshaw, dated 18 June 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently out of the office on business, I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made by the Child Support Agency in meeting its Operational Improvement Plan debt recovery targets (a) to collect at least £113 million of additional debt via the use of external private debt collection agencies by March 2009 and (b) to collect at least £110.8 million of additional debt using internal resources by March 2009.
	Between April 2006 and March 2007, the Agency collected £90.6 million towards its Operational Improvement Plan historic debt target, exceeding its £80 million baseline by £10.6 million. Between April 2007 and March 2008, a total of £126 million was collected exceeding the arrears target for the financial year 2007/08 of £120 million. This target includes a £40 million contribution to the Operational Improvement Plan historic debt recovery target.
	By the end of March 2008, £11.9 million had been collected by external private debt collection agencies. In addition the seven-day warning letter sent by the Agency to inform clients that their debt is being transferred to the debt collection agencies resulted in £6 million being collected by the Agency bringing the total collected in this period to £17.9 million.
	In total, the Agency has collected over £217 million in maintenance arrears since April 2006 and continues to make good progress towards meeting the Operational Improvement Plan commitment of collecting an additional £200 million in arrears, which is heavily weighted towards the final year of the Plan, by March 2009.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was owed in child maintenance arrears by non-resident parents in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 June 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was owed in child maintenance arrears by non-resident parents in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in each year since 1997.
	The Agency is only able to analyse the amount of child maintenance arrears outstanding by parliamentary constituency on cases maintained on the new computer system (CS2) from February 2007. The Agency is not able to estimate the amount of child maintenance arrears outstanding on the old system (CSCS) at parliamentary constituency level. At the end of March 2008, the total amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents, living in Bexleyheath and Crayford was £2 million compared to £1.6 million at the end of March 2007.
	This debt is owed by non-resident parents as a result of their failure to meet their responsibilities to their children. Debt recovery is very much dependent on the willingness of non-resident parents to co-operate with the Agency. Some non-resident parents do their utmost to avoid their responsibilities—for example by moving house or changing jobs whenever the Agency tries to collect maintenance.
	The Agency has increased the amount of child maintenance collected or arranged over the first two years of the Operational Improvement Plan, collecting a record-breaking £1 billion in the year to March 2008 of which £126 million was arrears. In addition, internal Agency figures show that the rate at which child maintenance debt has been growing continues to reduce. In the year to March 2008, child maintenance debt grew at a rate of £10 million a month, which is less than half the rate at which debt was growing in the year to March 2006.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Pilot Schemes

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which pilot projects initiated by his Department in the last two years have not proceeded to further roll-out.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not available and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on its international work in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: My Department, over the last five years, has been involved in a wide range of activities in support of the UK's international obligations. The costs associated with this work are paid by different parts of the Department and details of spend on international work is not held centrally. A full answer, with a breakdown of figures as requested, could be provided only by incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what proportion of its staff his Department has provided vocational training in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested in relation to what proportion of its Department has provided vocational training is the last three years is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Disabled

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has conducted to estimate the number and proportion of the UK population who will have a disability in the future.

Anne McGuire: Research is currently under way within the Office for Disability Issues to forecast the number and proportion of the UK population who will have a long-standing illness, impairment or disability in the future. This is a complex issue which involves making assumptions about the ageing population, medical innovation and other technical advances which all could potentially affect the estimate in the future.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2008,  Official Report, column 749W, on the Fairtrade initiative, 
	(1)  what fairtrade products are  (a) available for purchase at his Department's staff catering facilities and  (b) offered at official departmental meetings and engagements;
	(2)  what the value was of fairtrade products purchased at his Department's staff catering facilities in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of revenue this represented.

Anne McGuire: In line with Government policy, the Department is committed to fairtrade and ethical supply routes.
	The Department's facilities management partner, Land Securities Trillium (LST) provides in house catering services where premises allow. Ethical procurement practices are a key factor in the contract.
	Where practicable, LST purchases sustainable produce for sale on departmental premises. LST is actively working with the Fairtrade Foundation to develop its fairtrade product offer and support the marketing of fairtrade products.
	The following fairtrade products are generally available for purchase at the Department's staff catering facilities:
	Orange juice
	Tea
	Coffee
	Biscuits
	Chocolate
	Flapjacks
	Cereal bars
	Fairtrade tea and coffee is standard for official receptions and meetings.
	The total value and proportion of revenue this represents, in respect of fairtrade products purchased at the Department's staff catering facilities for each of the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Period covered  (April to March)  Total value of fairtrade product sales (£)  Proportion of revenue (Percentage) 
			 2005-06 200,500.00 2.3 
			 2006-07 366,102.00 4.4 
			 2007-08 650,858.75 8.8

Harrington Scheme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has made for the availability of funding to the Harrington scheme in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency following the transfer of the relevant budget to local authority control; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department's White Paper "Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver" laid out plans for transfer of funding for learning for 16 to 19-year-olds from the Learning and Skills Council to local authorities from September 2010.
	As with the current system, under the new arrangement providers such as the Harrington scheme would continue to receive funding for young people to attend their provision whether or not they are resident in the local authority area where the provision is based.

National Insurance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the longest period of time between application for and the issuing of a national insurance number has been in 2008 to date.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 16 May 2008
	The longest period of time between application for and the issuing of a national insurance number in 2008 to date is 96 working days.

Pension Credit: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received pensioners credit in Leeds West constituency in each year since the inception of the benefit.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households recipients and individual beneficiaries of pension credit in Leeds, West parliamentary constituency 
			  November each year  Household recipients  Individual beneficiaries 
			 2003 3,630 4,230 
			 2004 4,480 5,330 
			 2005 4,590 5,470 
			 2006 4,670 5,580 
			 2007 4,630 5,530 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

Pension Disability and Carers Service: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the  (a) creation and  (b) branding of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service.

Mike O'Brien: There was no additional cost. The direct cost of creating Pension, Disability and Carers Service was £0.2 million, met from the combined pre-merger operating budgets of The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service. This cost represents 0.003 per cent. of the new Agency's annual operating budget. To date there has been no formal branding of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service as the two former agencies have retained their separate identities for providing their service to customers.

Social Security Benefits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 727W, on social security benefits, of those of working age and claiming incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, how many initiated their claim  (a) before and  (b) in or after 1997, broken down by (i) region and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

Anne McGuire: The available information has been placed in the Library. In addition our analysis shows that only around 11 per cent. of those flowing on in 1997 are still claiming incapacity benefits today.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, 
	(1)  how much benefit overpayment resulting from  (a) customer and  (b) official error there has been in each year since 1997; what proportion of such payments related to 9i) income support, (ii) jobseeker's allowance, (iii) income support and jobseeker's allowance combined, (iv) pension credit and (v) housing benefit in each year; and what proportion of total payments of each benefit such overpayments represented in each year;
	(2)  how much overpaid benefit was subsequently recovered in each year since 1997, broken down by benefit.

James Plaskitt: The information is only available in the requested format for those benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. Housing Benefit is administered by local authorities and is not available in the same format.
	The information is only available from 2001, and the data is rounded to the nearest £1 million where appropriate.
	Overpayments in category (iii) above, Income support and Jobseeker's Allowance combined, are not recorded as a separate entity and data relating to those overpayments will be included in the benefit specific data.
	Prior to April 2006, not all overpayments arising due to official error were formally calculated and recorded. Under an agreement with HM Treasury, known as Easements, these, along with small value overpayments not considered cost effective to pursue, were recorded separately on the basis of estimated values. The value recorded in the easements initiative in shown for each year—although this is not broken down by benefit.
	Prior to 2005-06 overpayments identified by the Recovery from Estates Unit were recorded separately. (The unit is responsible for the recovery of overpaid means tested benefits identified after death following check of probate records.) Unfortunately, these cannot be broken down by benefit.
	Otherwise, the data supplied is based on actual values of official error and customer error detected and recorded by the Department.
	The Department also publishes estimates of overpayments in the Resource Account and in National Statistics publications.
	Copies of two recent such reports: Fraud and Error in the Benefit System from April 2006 to March 2007, and Fraud and Error in the Benefit System from October 2006 to September 2007 have been placed in the House of Commons Library. These are based on detailed examination of a random sample of benefit claims and are an estimate of all error, whether it was detected by normal departmental processes or not. The differences in definition mean that the two sets of figures are not comparable.
	
		
			  2001-02 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 190 64 1.3 6 23 0.04 1.4 
			 JSA(C) 0.7 0.24 0.15 0.01 0.04 0.002 0.15 
			 JSA(IB) 22 7 1 0.3 1 0.012 1 
			 Other benefits 83 28 0.1 19 75 0.024 0.13 
			 Total 296 — — (1)25 — — — 
			  Note: Amounts not captured: (1)Estimated amount recorded in easements; £96 million Recorded by the Recoveries from Estates team; £17 million. Total overpayments recorded; £434 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 175 64 1.2 5 26 0.03 1.3 
			 JSA(C) 0.8 0.3 0.15 0.017 0.1 0.003 0.15 
			 JSA(IB) 22 8 1 0.25 1 0.01 1 
			 Other benefits 78 28 0.09 14 73 0.01 0.11 
			 Total 275   (1)19
			  Note: Amounts not captured: (1)( )Estimated amount recorded in easements; £105 million. Recorded by the Recoveries from Estates team; £19 million. Total overpayments recorded; £418 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 153 63 1.5 3 16 0.03 1.5 
			 JSA(C) 0.7 0.3 0.14 0.019 0.09 0.003 0.14 
			 JSA(IB) 22 9 1 0.2 0.79 0.008 1 
			 PC 0.14 0.06 0.002 0.2 1 0.004 0.007 
			 Other benefits 69 28 0.09 18 82 0.02 0.11 
			 Total 245 — — (1)21 — — — 
			  Note: Amounts not captured: (1) Estimated amount recorded in easements; £78 million. Recorded by the Recoveries from Estates team; £19 million. Total overpayments recorded; £363 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 162 62 1.6 2 5 0.01 1.6 
			 JSA(C) 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.01 0.03 0.002 0.12 
			 JSA(IB) 26 10 1 0.11 0.35 0.006 1 
			 PC 2 0.9 0.03 3 10 0.05 0.09 
			 Other benefits 70 27 0.08 27 84 0.001 0.12 
			 Total 260 — — (1)32 — — — 
			  Note: Amounts not captured: (1) Estimated amount recorded in easements; £96 million. Recorded by the Recoveries from Estates team; £20 million. Total overpayments recorded: £408 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 190 67 2.1 9 7 0.09 2.2 
			 JSA(C) 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.01 0.01 0.002 0.17 
			 JSA(IB) 23 8 1.3 0.25 0.2 0.01 1.3 
			 PC 6 2 0.08 30 23 0.46 0.55 
			 Other benefits 62 22 0.07 90 70 0.06 0.18 
			 Total 282 — — (1)129 — — — 
			  Note: Amounts not captured: Estimated amount recorded in easements: £98 million. Total overpayments recorded: £509 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  200 6-07 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 273 59 3 51 26 0.6 3.7 
			 JSA(C) 2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.08 0.5 
			 JSA(IB) 27 6 1.4 3 1 0.15 1.5 
			 PC 60 13 0.9 31 16 0.5 1.1 
			 Other benefits 101 22 0.1 129 54 0.14 0.27 
			 Total 463 — — 214 — — — 
			  Note: Total overpayments recorded: £677 million. 
		
	
	
		
			  200 07-08 
			   Customer Error  Official Error  
			   Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  Value of overpayments  ( £  million )  Percentage  of total overpaid  Percentage  of total of each benefit paid  All overpayments as  percentage  of total each benefit paid 
			 IS 243 63 2.8 67 31 0.8 3.6 
			 JSA(C) 2 0.5 0.48 1 0.47 0.24 0.73 
			 JSA(IB) 24 6 1 6 3 0.33 1.7 
			 PC 32 8 0.44 25 12 0.34 0.78 
			 Other benefits 83 22 0.09 116 54 0.12 0.2 
			 Total 384 — — 215 — — — 
			  Note: 1. Total Overpayments recorded; £ 599 million. 2. Values are rounded to nearest million—unless less than £1 million. 3. The figures given in this answer are actual values of official error and customer error detected and recorded by the Department. The Department also publishes estimates of overpayments in the Resource Account and in National Statistics publications. These are based on detailed examination of a random sample of benefit claims and are an estimate of all error, whether it was detected by normal Departmental processes or not. The differences in definition mean that the two sets of figures are not comparable. 4. Pension Credit was introduced from 6 October 2003, and prior to that, payments would have been made as Income Support. 
		
	
	
		
			  Amounts recovered by DWP broken down by benefit 
			  Recoveries £ million 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 IS 83.0 79.8 78.5 104.0 100.0 103.2 115.5 
			 JSA(C) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.8 1.1 
			 JSA(IB) 8.5 7.7 9.2 17.0 12.5 15.6 15.8 
			 PC — — 1.4 2.9 2.8 20.6 30.0 
			 HB 0.9 1.7 2.2 3.3 3.2 6.6 4.0 
			 Other benefits 95.3 100.5 92.6 61.4 61.7 73.9 88.9 
			 Total 188.0 190.0 184.2 188.8 180.4 220.7 255.3

Social Security Benefits: Publications

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1234W, on social security benefits: publications, which benefit claims forms mention services provided by citizens advice bureaux.

Anne McGuire: The following 29 DWP claim forms mention services provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau or are accompanied by notes which mention their services:
	AA1 Claim form—February 2007—Attendance Allowance
	AA1A Claim form—February 2007—Attendance Allowance
	BB1 Claim pack—April 2008—Bereavement Benefit
	BI100A—June 2007—Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
	BI100PD—June 2007—Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
	CSA 1—December 2005—Child Support application Form
	CSA 1 (TC)—December 2005—Child Support application form
	CSA 1 (CIS)—December 2005—Child Support application form
	CSA 1 (NRP)—July 2007—Child Support application form
	CSF001—July 2005—Child Support application Form
	DLA1 Adult—April 2007—Disability Living Allowance
	DLA1 Child—February 2007—Disability Living Allowance
	DLA1A Adult—April 2007—Disability Living Allowance
	DS700 (1)—October 2007—Carer's Allowance
	DS700 (2)—October 2007—Carer's Allowance
	DS700 (SP)—October 2007—Carer's Allowance
	HCTB1—January 2006—Housing Benefit
	HCTB1 (PCA)—April 2005—Housing Benefit
	HCTB1 PC—April 2007—Housing Benefit
	IB(Y) 1—April 2008—Incapacity Benefit under the Incapacity in youth rules
	IB(Y) 22—April 2008—Incapacity Benefit under the incapacity in Youth rules
	JSA1(S)—April 2008—Jobseeker's Allowance single people
	SC1—April 2008—Incapacity Benefit
	SC1 (RR)—April 2008—Renewal claim pack for Incapacity Benefit
	SDA1—April 2008—Severe Disablement Allowance
	SF100—April 2008—Social Fund Sure Start Maternity Grant
	SF300—April 2008—Social Fund Community Care Grant
	SF500—April 2008—Social Fund Budgeting Loans
	WFP1(R)—July 2007—Winter Fuel past winters

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on training courses for staff in the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Kevin Brennan: The Department was formed on 28 June 2007. In the financial year 2007-08, we estimate a total spend of £2.7 million on learning and development across the Department—£813,000 was spent on internally provided courses.
	The Department offers a range of corporate skills development including formal off the job training, e-learning and access to a range of learning and coaching materials from our learning and development function. All these are linked to the professional skills for Government agenda and our business and improvement objectives.
	The Department has also placed great emphasis on good people management. Provision includes line manager coaching and supporting individuals while learning on the job. This is recognised as the most effective way to learn, apply, and develop skills and knowledge.
	Internal programmes are available as follows:
	Leadership;
	Policy Development Skills—tailored to meet the needs of my Department;
	Strategic Thinking;
	Analysis and Use of Evidence;
	Programme and Project Management;
	Contract Management;
	Financial Management;
	People Management; and
	Drafting and Writing Skills.

Dyslexia: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point have teachers with specialist dyslexia qualifications.

Kevin Brennan: This information is not collected centrally. However, on 6 May, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced that we have asked Sir Jim Rose to make recommendations on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia. We expect to consider his recommendations early next year.
	Some information about teachers' qualifications will be gathered by the school work force census which will start in 2010. The information collected will be limited to ensure we do not place an undue burden on schools. So, although it will not collect information about all training, we expect to be able to provide more data than we currently hold on teacher's qualifications.
	The census will be seeking data on relevant qualifications for all teachers. A relevant qualification is any post A-level qualification that the school considers qualifies the teacher or teaching assistant to teach the subjects for which they are timetabled. We expect to see included, as a minimum, teachers' ITT qualifications. For teachers with a PGCE, we are also requesting data on prior degrees. Qualification subjects will be coded using the Joint Academic Council principal subjects code set which includes 'training teachers—special needs'.

Education: Young Offenders Institutions

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 361-4W, on young offenders: education, what training qualifications offered to young offenders aged 10 to 17 years are included under the term 'other'.

Beverley Hughes: The following training qualifications offered to young offenders aged 10 to 17 years are included under the term 'other' in the answer to PQ number 206891.
	Certificate;
	CG 3992;
	CG6161;
	Diploma;
	Foundation Award;
	Foundation Certificate;
	Free Standing Mathematics Qualifications;
	Introductory Certificate;
	Level 1;
	Non Council funded studies;
	NVQ/GNVQ Key Skills Unit;
	Schedule 2(j) course;
	Short Course;
	Unitisation Provision.

Educational Visits: Low Incomes

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what financial help is available to children from low income families wishing to participate in educational school trips abroad, with particular reference to visits to concentration camps.

Jim Knight: Many local authorities and schools recognise the importance of learning outside the classroom experiences and invest in them to meet the needs of children and young people regardless of their age, abilities or circumstances. It is important for young people to have a range of experiences including those within the school grounds, in the local area and day and residential visits further afield. Many schools arrange educational visits abroad including to concentration camps.
	The Department announced on 4 February 2008 that we are providing £4.65 million of continuing support to the Holocaust Educational Trust's "Lessons from Auschwitz" over the next three years. The project provides an opportunity for two students aged 16-18 from every school and college to participate in a one day visit to Auschwitz and our support makes it significantly cheaper for students who want to take advantage of this valuable educational opportunity.

Educational Visits: Safety

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the recommendations of the report into the Glenridding Beck tragedy have been brought to the attention of  (a) all teachers accompanying pupils to high-hazard environments and  (b) those involved in the management and support of such teachers.

Jim Knight: The Health and Safety Executive, with my Department's assistance, prepared and published in March 2005 a report following the incident in Glenridding Beck when a young pupil died. The criminal investigation had found inappropriate action on the part of the teacher in charge, who was subsequently convicted of manslaughter, and weaknesses in the employer's management system. We drew the attention of school staff and their employers to the report and its recommendations.
	This tragedy should not cloud the fact that the huge majority of educational visits of all kinds are run excellently by school staff skilled in risk management and committed to the care of those in their charge.

Extracurricular Activities: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on after-school clubs in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: This information is not collected centrally. It is for local authorities, working with schools and children service partners, to develop strategies for how funding for extended schools is allocated, depending on local need.
	The Department made a total of £840 million available to local authorities and schools between 2003 and 2008 to support start-up of extended services in schools. A further £1.3 billion will be made available over the next three years to support start-up and sustainability of services. Individual local authority allocations are available online at:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk.
	Other funding is also available to support extended schools, including money available to support personalised learning during and beyond the school day, and money available to support neighbourhood renewal.

Further Education: Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether 16 to 18 year olds in  (a) sixth form colleges and  (b) general further education colleges are entitled to free school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Pupils aged 16 to 18 in  (a) sixth form colleges and  (b) general further education colleges are not entitled to free school meals. Only pupils registered at maintained schools are eligible to apply for free school meals. My hon. Friend at the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, who is responsible for sixth form colleges and general further education colleges, has advised that they have no plans to provide free meals for students at FE or sixth form colleges.

Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate he has made of the cost.

Kevin Brennan: There will be no representation, at either ministerial or official level, from my Department at the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Pre-school Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1174W, on pre-school education, whether his Department has commissioned research on the developmental appropriateness of early years foundation stage in the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has not commissioned specific research on the developmental appropriateness of the early years foundation stage in the last three years. It has consulted publicly on the EYFS, and drew on evidence such as the effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) project. The EYFS carries forward the early learning goals from the existing curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. We have already made it clear that the EYFS will be reviewed as a whole in 2010, once it has had time to bed in. We will consider, as part of that review, whether further research needs to be commissioned.

Special Educational Needs

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what medical conditions are recognised as giving rise to special educational needs;
	(2)  what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of co-morbidity of epilepsy and learning difficulties on educational achievement.

Kevin Brennan: The Education Act 1996 provides that school aged children have a learning difficulty if they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities generally provided for children of the same age, or if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age. Children who have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them, have special educational needs.
	In 2005, in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, we produced guidance entitled "Including Me" to help local authorities, schools, early years settings and health providers develop policies and procedures to ensure that children with complex health needs can access education and child care. This includes an example of a child experiencing severe episodes of epilepsy having a need identified for a trained Learning Support Assistant at school.
	My Department has not commissioned or evaluated research on the effects of co-morbidity of epilepsy and learning difficulties on educational achievement. However, the Education Act 1996 requires all schools to use their best endeavours to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs.

Strategy Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff of his Department were seconded to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit at the latest date for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: None.

Teachers: Pay

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what account the Government take of changes in the retail price index when deciding pay increases for teachers;
	(2)  what recent assessment the Government have made of the appropriateness of teachers' pay structures.

Jim Knight: It is for the independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) to make recommendations on teachers' pay. It will consider the retail prices index (RPI) among other factors before giving its recommendations.
	The STRB also considers the appropriateness of teachers' pay structures if directed by the Secretary of State to do so. In its most recent report for example it has recommended changes to pay scales for unattached teachers and future work on teachers' roles and responsibilities to ensure they remain appropriate.

Vocational Guidance

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what arrangements have been put in place for ensuring the continuity of careers advice services during the period of transition from Connexions to local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: Funding and responsibility for Connexions services, including careers advice, passed to local authorities on 1 April 2008. Local authorities will be performance managed in their delivery of Connexions in accordance with the arrangements outlined in the 2006 Local Government White Paper 'Strong and Prosperous Communities'. Local authorities will be judged on outcomes and within this will have the freedom and flexibility to deliver services as they see fit in their particular area.

Vocational Guidance: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent in  (a) Castle Point and  (b) Essex on careers guidance for young people in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Connexions provides information, advice and guidance, including careers guidance, to 13-19 year olds and to people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities up to the age of 24.
	Up until 1 April 2008, Connexions funding for Essex was allocated to the Connexions Essex, Southend and Thurrock Partnership, which covered Essex, Southend on Sea and Thurrock LEAs. From 1 April 2008, Connexions funding is being allocated directly to each local authority. The following table shows the amount of central Government funding allocated to the Connexions Service in Essex, Southend and Thurrock in each of the last five years.
	Information on the amount spent on careers guidance is not collected centrally. However, an independent study undertaken in 2006 concluded that, on average, around 42 per cent. of a Connexions Partnership's expenditure was on information, advice and guidance. The remainder was for targeted support for young people to address specific needs.
	
		
			   Connexions service (£ million) 
			 2004-05 (1)13 
			 2005-06 (1)14 
			 2006-07 (1)14 
			 2007-08 (1)14 
			 2008-09 (2)11 
			 (1) Allocated to the Connexions Essex, Southend and Thurrock Partnership, covering Essex, Southend on Sea and Thurrock LEAs. (2) Allocated to Essex county council (the figure represents Essex's share of a total £14 million allocated to the three local authorities in the Essex, Southend and Thurrock Partnership area). 
		
	
	In addition, schools have a statutory duty to provide careers education and guidance for their pupils but we do not collect information identifying what school resources are spent on this.

Young Offender Institutions: Social Workers

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for the future employment of social workers in young offender institutions.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has committed to funding social worker posts within young offender institutions until March 2009. Future funding arrangements for these important posts is being discussed with the Association of Directors of Children Services.

Youth Services: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department and its predecessors provided to the London borough of Enfield for youth services in the last 10 years; and how much of the funding was spent in Enfield North constituency in each of those years.

Beverley Hughes: The Government do not set a budget for spending on youth services. Local authorities decide what should be spent, taking into account Government policy and local needs. We do not hold information on spending on youth services below local authority level as that is a matter for the authority. The following table shows how much Enfield has decided to allocate in the last nine years, in both cash and real terms. Data are not available from before 1999-2000.
	
		
			  Budgeted net expenditure by Enfield on youth services( 1) 
			  £ 
			   Cash terms  Real terms 
			 1999-2000 999,000 1,188,394 
			 2000-01 986,108 1,156,589 
			 2001-02 1,052,333 1,205,408 
			 2002-03 1,121,647 1,245,818 
			 2003-04 1,355,382 1,463,032 
			 2004-05 1,440,161 1,512,774 
			 2005-06 1,518,136 1,561,692 
			 2006-07 1,648,564 1,648,564 
			 2007-08(2) 2,023,600 1,959,903 
			 (1) Cash terms figures are converted to real terms (2006-07 prices) using the December 2007 gross domestic product (GDP) deflators. (2) 2007-08 data remain provisional and subject to change by the local authority.

TREASURY

Carbon Emissions

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations  (a) have taken place and  (b) are planned, by his Department on the definition of zero carbon.

Angela Eagle: A consultation on 'The Stamp Duty Land Tax (Zero-Carbon Homes relief) Regulations 2007' which contain the definition of a zero carbon home, ran from mid June 2007 to the end of July 2007. This was an informal consultation with over 200 organisations on technical issues. The Government are committed to conducting an interim review of the stamp duty relief in 2010 which will examine the effectiveness of the relief in stimulating the innovation necessary to ensure that all new homes are built to a zero-carbon standard from 2016.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 6 May 2008,  Official Report, column 818W, on council tax: valuation, how many dwellings in Wales moved up one or more bands as a result of council tax band amendments subsequent to the 2005 council tax revaluation.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much sick pay to staff in his Department cost in the last five years for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: Although sick absence is recorded separately on the payroll, sick pay is not so the answer can be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Economic Activity: Lincolnshire

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in economic activity in  (a) Cleethorpes constituency and  (b) Great Grimsby constituency since 1997.

Angela Eagle: Since 1997, the Yorkshire and Humber region has benefited from the economic stability that this Government's policies have delivered and has grown by 4.8 per cent. on average in nominal terms. In Cleethorpes, since 1997, claimant count unemployment has fallen by 60 per cent. and long-term unemployment by 94.1 per cent. In Great Grimsby, since 1997, the claimant count has fallen by 46.2 per cent. and long-term unemployment by 90 per cent.

Gateway Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government projects are subject to the Gateway Review process; and what the estimated value is of each project.

Angela Eagle: The OGC Gateway Process is mandatory for procurement, IT-enabled, and construction programmes and projects in central civil Government. Financial value is only one of the factors considered when deciding on the level of risk faced by a programme or project.
	Historically OGC reviews have been carried out on programmes and projects with contract values ranging from several thousand pounds to several billion. This value may increase or decrease over the lifecycle of a project.

Gateway Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Government projects which have received a  (a) red and  (b) amber/red rating in the Gateway reviews in each of the last two years.

Angela Eagle: An OGC Gateway Review is conducted on a confidential basis for the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) and ownership of the report, including it's associated RAG (Red, Amber or Green) status, rests with the SRO. OGC does not, therefore, make this information routinely public.

Gateway Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Government projects which have been cancelled as a result of the findings of Gateway reviews in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The Gateway process is intended to provide independent expert advice to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of a programme/project on achieving successful delivery; it is not designed to recommend the cancellation of projects.
	Gateway information is only part of the assurance advice SROs receive. If a department is considering cancelling a project it will consider all assurance advice available to them.

Government Departments: Standards

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the April 2008 target for mandatory benchmarking of buildings performance across the central government estate was met.

Angela Eagle: Yes. The Office of Government Commerce's Property Benchmarking Service has been mandated from 1 April 2008 for all government office property occupations over 500 sq m (net internal area).

Housing: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 913W, on housing: valuation, how many localities there are on average in each individual billing authority.

Jane Kennedy: There are approximately 10,000 localities covering all the 354 billing authorities in England. Therefore the average number of localities in each billing authority is approximately 28.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual saving to the Exchequer of providing tax relief at the 20 per cent. rate for upper rate tax payers.

Jane Kennedy: The estimated costs of principal tax expenditures and structural tax reliefs can be found in table 1.5 on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm.
	The total yield from restricting all reliefs to the basic rate is not readily available.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 980W, on departmental contracts, what costs the Valuation Office Agency incurred in contesting the challenge by GVA Grimley on the business rates assessments of the premises referred to.

Jane Kennedy: The costs of considering the rating proposals made by GVA Grimley contesting rating assessments were met from funding made available to the Valuation Office Agency to deal with proposals received from ratepayers. The cases were dealt with from existing resources and no additional costs were incurred.

Public Sector: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans there are to increase the amount of public sector data held on the e-PIMS property database; and what plans there are to extend its application to  (a) the NHS,  (b) police authorities and  (c) local authorities.

Angela Eagle: There are no plans to increase the amount of public sector data held on the e-PIMS property database.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Alan Reid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed in the HM Revenue and Customs offices in  (a) Oban,  (b) Dunoon and  (c) Rothesay; and whether members of the public may visit these offices to discuss their tax affairs in person.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC staff employed in each of the following locations at 1 June 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) Oban 2 
			  (b) Dunoon 14 
			  (c) Rothesay 7 
		
	
	The Dunoon and Rothesay offices have inquiry centres which are open to the public. The one at Oban has no facilities for dealing with the public.

Revenue and Customs: Yeovil

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of the HM Revenue and Customs office in Yeovil.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC announced on 11 June that it proposes to withdraw from its office in Yeovil, with the exception of its inquiry centre services which will be maintained either from the current building or one nearby. As with all HMRC's proposals, these will be subject to consultation with internal and external stakeholders, including MPs with a constituency interest, and detailed feasibility work will also be undertaken before final decisions are taken. Decisions on the future of all HMRC's offices are expected to be announced by the end of the year.

Tax Evasion: Fuels

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many petrol filling-station owners have been convicted of selling  (a) illegally laundered and  (b) smuggled fuel in Northern Ireland in the last two years;
	(2)  how many petrol filling-station owners have been convicted of selling  (a) illegally laundered and  (b) smuggled fuel in England in the last two years.

Jane Kennedy: Five petrol station owners have been prosecuted in Northern Ireland for selling illegally laundered and smuggled fuel in the last two years; in all instances the stations were selling combinations of illegally laundered and smuggled fuel. Three of the owners, who pleaded guilty, were served with the UK's first Serious Crime Prevention Orders which prohibits them from dealing in oils in any manner for five years and also directed them to submit signed affidavits disclosing their entire assets/financial affairs. They have also been served with Confiscation Orders totalling £1.2 million.
	No petrol filling-station owners have been convicted of selling illegally laundered or smuggled fuel in England in the last two years.
	The number of people convicted in relation to hydrocarbon oils fraud in Northern Ireland during the period 2007-08 will be published in the HMRC autumn performance Report 2008, later this year.
	Criminal investigation and prosecution for hydrocarbon oils offences form only one part of HMRC's overall approach to tackling oils fraud, together with the investigation/prosecution of wider oils excise offences, combined with a strong regulatory control system and the civil penalties regime.

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to publish the findings of the multinational forum on tax.

Jane Kennedy: The forum has agreed to publish summaries of the forum's discussions and related documents.

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the remit is of the multinational forum on tax.

Jane Kennedy: The forum's remit is to discuss ways in which the business tax system can provide the long-term certainty that multinational companies need, considering competitiveness and other challenges facing both business and government.

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the multinational forum on tax  (a) has met and  (b) is scheduled to meet in the next three months.

Jane Kennedy: The forum's first meeting was 9 June. The next meeting will be arranged shortly after summer recess.

Taxation: Bingo

Adam Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the evidential basis is for his Department's assessment, expressed to the Chief Executive of the Bingo Association by letter dated 12 March, that tax is not at the root of the bingo industry's problem.

Angela Eagle: The Government's assessment that tax is not at the root of the bingo industry's problems is based on evidence from a number of sources, including data on the number of bingo clubs and on bingo stakes, commercial sector reports on the bingo industry, and representations from the bingo industry. The assessment noted the need for the bingo industry to adapt to the smoke free legislation and the impact of the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005. It concluded that the industry's problems are a product of a combination of factors including greater competition in the leisure sector and changing tastes in leisure activities.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the online system for filing tax returns; what assessment he has made of the effect of promoting the online system on those people who prefer to submit paper returns, with particular reference to older people; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Lord Carter's Review of HMRC's online services found that there are benefits for businesses, individuals and for Government from the use of online services for filing tax returns. The Government expect recurrent net savings of up to £80 million a year for businesses and taxpayers once Lord Carter's recommendations are implemented in full, and around £70 million a year in net benefits for Government. HMRC published a full regulatory impact assessment in March 2007 which sets out the estimated benefits and efficiencies.
	All self-assessment customers may still submit a paper return. HMRC has improved and simplified it so it is easier to complete. The deadline for filing a paper return has, however, moved to 31 October. HMRC is undertaking a marketing campaign, which includes media widely used by older people to make customers aware of the earlier deadline for filing a paper self-assessment return.
	Online returns must be filed by 31 January. HMRC has provided a number of support options for those that choose to file online. One of these is a detailed guide on how to file online, which has been tested with a wide range of HMRC's customers, including older people.

VAT: Crown Dependencies

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans next to review the effects upon mainland businesses of the low value consignment relief from value added tax for imports from the Channel Islands; and against what criteria the relief will be reviewed.

Jane Kennedy: Import VAT is not chargeable on commercial consignments of goods with a value below £18 that are imported into the UK from outside the EU ("low value consignment relief"). As with all taxes, the Government keep the operation of this relief under review, and take into account a wide range of factors, including the revenue effect, competitiveness of UK businesses, the resource requirements of Royal Mail and HMRC, and the practicality of enforcing any changes to the relief.

VAT: Crown Dependencies

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the effects of low value consignment relief from value added tax for imports from the Channel Islands.

Jane Kennedy: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

VAT: Crown Dependencies

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the value of  (a) food supplements and herbal remedies and  (b) recorded music and films imported annually from the Crown dependencies without the imposition of value added tax under the low value consignment relief scheme; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this trade upon mainland specialist high street retailers;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the tax foregone by the Exchequer as a result of the provision of low value consignment relief from value added tax for personal imports from Crown dependencies; for what reasons the relief is provided; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The relief reduces administrative costs for businesses, HM Revenue and Customs, the authorised postal carrier (Royal Mail), express carriers and consumers by removing the requirement to pay VAT on large volumes of low value packages.
	As set out in PBR 2006 the total cost of the low value consignment relief is estimated at around £90 million. HMRC tentatively estimates that around three quarters of this cost is attributable to imports from the Crown dependencies.
	Although HMRC collects data on the total aggregate value of goods imported from many companies in the Crown dependencies these data are not broken down into individual products such as food supplements and herbal remedies or recorded music and films.
	As the then Paymaster General said on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 146WH, it is not clear that the competitive pressures on small retailers are solely or even mainly related to the VAT relief enjoyed by offshore online retailers. It is difficult to disaggregate the effect of the relief from other factors, such as the substantial growth of supermarket sales, and rapid technological change in the case of the market for audio-visual products, which are increasingly sold in download form over the internet. The Channel Islands authorities have, however, applied their regulatory powers to prevent the establishment of new businesses on the Islands where these are simply attempting to take advantage of the relief, and in the case of Jersey have required several businesses to leave.

Welfare Tax Credit: Sunderland

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in the city of Sunderland were in receipt of each category of tax credit in 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC do not produce these statistics separately for child tax credit and working tax credit.
	Estimates of the number of families with tax credit awards in 2006-07 in each local authority, based on final family circumstances and incomes, are available in the HMRC publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised annual awards 2006-07. Geographical analyses'. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	The same information for 2007-08 is not yet available because awards have not yet been finalised. However, estimates of the number of recipient families with tax credits, based on provisional awards, by local authority, as at 5 April 2008, are available in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. April 2008'. This is also available on the HMRC website at the same address.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administrative costs to employers of implementing the changes to tax allowances announced on 13 May 2008.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 437W to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond).

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 42W, on tax credits, what the highest possible income is that a family which does not claim disability element for any children or adults may receive while being eligible for the child care element of the working tax credit with  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four and  (e) more than four children.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the first row of the table provided in the answer I gave him on 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1630W.

Working Tax Credit

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children aged between one and five years have been awarded the childcare element of the working tax credit since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	However, estimates of the number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, by age group of children, including those under five years, at selected dates are published in Table 4.4 of the HMRC publications 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics'. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

JUSTICE

Drugs: Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) convicted and  (c) given a custodial sentence for dealing in (i) heroin, (ii) cocaine, (iii) ecstasy and (iv) LSD in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: Data showing the number of people proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for dealing in heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and LSD in each of the last 10 years are in the following tables.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			 Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and given immediate custody for dealing in Heroin, Cocaine, Ecstasy and LSD, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006(1, 2, 3, 4,) 
			   1997  1998 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- Heroin. 1,304 789 659 1,486 892 737 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-Heroin. 1,265 744 604 1,411 822 656 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug,(or being concerned in):- Cocaine. 342 137 102 423 223 161 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-Cocaine 471 291 228 502 334 260 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- MDMA 442 310 228 308 246 179 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-MDMA. 787 544 410 410 304 217 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):-LSD 54 39 27 32 33 24 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-LSD. 116 71 51 88 56 42 
		
	
	
		
			   1999  2000 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- Heroin. 1,869 1,144 953 1,643 1,209 1,049 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-Heroin. 1,483 883 741 1,476 900 769 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug,(or being concerned in):- Cocaine. 487 322 262 437 258 192 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-Cocaine 578 346 282 664 364 295 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- MDMA 408 231 173 545 326 231 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-MDMA. 693 451 338 1,081 725 508 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):-LSD 27 18 5 13 13 10 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-LSD. 56 37 30 24 17 10 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- Heroin. 1,909 1,203 1,000 1,643 1,234 1,044 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-Heroin. 1,727 1,004 848 1,600 962 774 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug,(or being concerned in):- Cocaine. 591 300 235 593 371 311 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-Cocaine 869 456 359 980 554 430 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- MDMA 528 376 252 399 365 216 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-MDMA. 1,352 960 690 1,064 830 578 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):-LSD 7 4 1 11 7 3 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-LSD. 20 9 5 8 4 4 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- Heroin. 1,698 1,308 1,095 1,612 1,415 1,164 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-Heroin. 1,628 1,100 884 1,498 1,175 913 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug,(or being concerned in):- Cocaine. 675 456 409 645 446 371 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-Cocaine 1,015 687 564 1,060 792 658 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- MDMA 306 219 127 261 172 100 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-MDMA. 947 746 461 726 603 394 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):-LSD 3 3 1 5 0 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-LSD. 15 6 3 15 10 9 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- Heroin. 1,649 1,305 902 1,494 1,181 810 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-Heroin. 1,541 1,123 848 1,391 1,103 847 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug,(or being concerned in):- Cocaine. 808 490 316 782 502 358 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-Cocaine 1,140 956 748 1,332 1,006 774 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):- MDMA 245 187 91 207 169 81 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug ( with intent to supply:-MDMA. 649 557 342 582 434 256 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in):-LSD 12 10 4 5 2 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug , with intent to supply:-LSD. 16 9 5 8 5 4 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many man hours were spent by officials in his Department on issues relating to  (a) postal ballot fraud and  (b) voters under-registration in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: Officials deal with these issues and other electoral policy issues on a regular basis. However, detailed information is not kept on the man-hours spent on specific policy areas and it is therefore not possible to provide the information sought.

Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many representations his Department and its predecessor received on  (a) postal ballot fraud and  (b) voters under-registration in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The number of representations which my Department has received between 1 January 2006 to 16 June 2008 on  (a) postal voting fraud and  (b) voter under-registration is as follows:
	
		
			  Subject  2006  2007  2008  Total number of representations( 1) 
			 Postal Voting Fraud 19 19 15 53 
			 Voter Under-registration 14 0 29 43 
			 (1) This is an approximate number of representations which is comprised of letters from members of Parliament, parliamentary questions and publications which the Department has received on postal voting fraud and under-registration.

Elections: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of  (a) postal vote fraud and  (b) other electoral fraud were detected in (i) European elections, (ii) parliamentary elections and (iii) local elections in the UK in each of the last 30 years.

Bridget Prentice: In it's report entitled "Allegations of Electoral Malpractice in England and Wales 2000 to 2006", the Electoral Commission confirmed that the number and type of allegations of electoral malpractice reported to the Crown Prosecution Service between 2000 to 2006 were as follows:
	
		
			   Electoral administration and registration  Election campaigning  Voting (e.g. personation, treating)  All allegations 
			 2000 4 37 7 50 
			 2001 2 56 10 66 
			 2002 2 46 11 59 
			 2003 4 70 16 90 
			 2004 2 39 17 59 
			 2005 4 32 24 59 
			 2006 2 11 6 19 
			 Total 20 291 91 402 
		
	
	We are continuing to work closely with the Electoral Commission, police, political parties and returning officers to raise awareness and strengthen systems to ensure that fraud is detected and prosecuted.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which local authorities employed doorstep canvassers to compile the 2008 electoral register; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: It is not known how many local authorities employed doorstep canvassers during the 2007 annual canvass, as this information is not collected centrally. However, section 67 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 allows the Electoral Commission (EC) to set and monitor performance standards for electoral services. The Commission is currently undertaking a consultation on performance standards for electoral registration officers and one of the proposed standards relates to house to house inquiries which will identify the local authorities using doorstep canvassers. The consultation ends on the 20 June and the Commission intends to publish the final set of standards during July 2008.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which local authority areas those wishing to register to vote are able to do so by telephone.

Bridget Prentice: No local authorities are able to register new electors by telephone, as a signature is required on the registration form. However, some local authorities allow electors who have registered under signature in the previous year to confirm their details, including others living in the household, by telephone where no changes to the registration are required.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much  (a) the Government have and  (b) local authorities have spent on advertising for voter registration in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much funding has been  (a) allocated to and  (b) spent by each local authority area on electoral registration in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how much was spent on electoral registration in each local authority area in  (a) total and  (b) per elector in each of the last 11 years;
	(4)  how much was spent per elector on voter registration in each local authority area ranked in descending order, in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: Funding for electoral registration activities such as advertising is included in the local authority formula grant issued by central Government. Once these funds are allocated, decisions on how it is utilised are a matter for the local authorities concerned. It is not known how much was spent in total or per elector for electoral registration in the last 11 years, as these figures are not collected, and thus no rankings are available.
	However, section 67 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 allows the Electoral Commission to set and monitor performance standards for electoral services. In developing standards the Commission undertook a data collection exercise with all electoral registration officers (EROs) in Great Britain following the 2007 annual canvass and published results on 30 April 2008. At the same time EROs were asked to supply financial data by 31 July 2008. These results are expected to be published by autumn 2008 and should give us a better understanding of the costs of electoral registration in Great Britain for the last financial year.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for variations in levels of electoral registration between different local authorities;
	(2)  if he will commission research on the effects of levels of functional illiteracy in the population on electoral registration rates;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of those eligible to vote but not registered to do so in each parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have not made any assessment of the reasons for variations in the levels of electoral registration between different local authorities and there are no plans at present to commission research on the effects of functional illiteracy in the population on electoral registration rates. The Government have not made any estimate of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each parliamentary constituency.
	The Electoral Commission estimated that 3.5 million eligible electors were not registered to vote in their report, Understanding Electoral Registration, which was published in September 2005. However the number of electors registered in the UK continues to grow and between 2 December 2006 and 1 December 2007 the number of parliamentary electors grew by 307,669 to 45,082,854; and the number of local government electors grew by 463,340 to 45,920,503.
	The Electoral Administration Act includes a provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce new performance standards for electoral registration officers. The Electoral Commission are currently developing these standards and the final set of standards will be published in July 2008. A copy of these standards which will be laid before the House and the information obtained from local authorities as a consequence will give us a better understanding of the actions taken to increase registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will publish the guidelines issued by his Department to electoral registration officers on home visits to electors who have not registered to vote; and what assessment he has made of the level of compliance with such guidelines;
	(2)  if he will issue guidance to local authorities on increasing the rate of voter registration; and if he will produce a league table to indicate each local authority's performance in increasing the rate of voter registration in their area.

Bridget Prentice: Responsibility for issuing guidance to electoral registration officers on electoral registration lies with the Electoral Commission and thus my Department has not made any assessment of the level of compliance with guidelines for home visits.
	Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 placed a new duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once and making house visits.
	The Act includes a provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce new performance measures for electoral registration officers. The Electoral Commission is currently developing these standards and the final standards will be published in July 2008, a copy of which will be laid before the House. This will give us a better understanding of the actions being taken to increase registration.
	The Office for National Statistics has recently published electoral registration rates for the UK, following the 2007 annual canvass, which confirm that the number of parliamentary electors grew by 307,669 to 45,082,854; and the number of local government electors grew by 463,340 to 45,920,503.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider introducing proposals to amend data protection legislation to allow local and national Government bodies to share information in order to increase voter registration.

Bridget Prentice: There are currently no plans to amend data protection legislation to allow local and national Government bodies to share information but we will keep this under review. However, under section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, electoral registration officers are required to take all necessary steps to register eligible electors and were granted the powers to inspect records held by any person that the ERO is permitted to inspect.
	Our vision for electoral registration is clear: we want to protect the rights of every eligible person to participate in the democratic process by ensuring complete, accurate and secure electoral registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether varying levels of voter registration in specific areas will be taken into account in future boundary reviews.

Bridget Prentice: In accordance with the rules governing reviews of parliamentary constituencies, set out in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, the boundary commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will base their recommendations on the number of electors on the electoral register at the start of the review. The Government agreed in their response to the Committee on Standards in Public Life's Eleventh report, "Review of the Electoral Commission", that it would be appropriate to review the current legislation in relation to the conduct of parliamentary boundary work. Any review is likely to consider the issue raised by the hon. Member.

Parc Prison: Foreigners

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1292W, on Parc Prison: mental health services, how many foreign nationals remained in custody in Parc Prison after the expiration of their sentences in each of the last 12 months.

David Hanson: Information on the number of foreign national detainees that remained in custody at HMP and YOI Parc after their sentence had expired, for each of the last eight months, is provided in the following table. A total of eight detainees have been held past their sentence expiry date. Information prior to November 2007 is not recorded and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Detainees 
			 November 2007 0 
			 December 2007 1 
			 January 2008 1 
			 February 2008 1 
			 March 2008 0 
			 April 2008 3 
			 May 2008 1 
			 June 2008(1) 1 
			 (1 )Provided as at 9 June 2008.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to implement the changes to the personal injury compensation system which were published in April 2007.

Bridget Prentice: A summary of responses and the Government's next steps will be set out in the "Response to Consultation: Case track limits and the claims process for personal injury claims", which will be published as soon as possible.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the cost of the press offices of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies were for each year from 1996-97 to 2007-08; what the cost was for each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many press office staff were employed by  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) in each year since 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

Jack Straw: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The Office of the Public Guardian is an agency of the MOJ, formed on 1 October 2007, replacing the Public Guardianship Office which was also an agency. Neither office has ever had a Press Office or press officers. Work is handled by the MOJ Press Office.
	The Boundary Commission for England is an advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by MOJ. It does not have a press office and all queries are dealt with by its Secretariat.
	The Boundary Commission for Wales does not have a Press Office nor a designated Press Officer at the Boundary Commission for Wales. The total annual cost of the Press Office for BCW has been therefore nil for each year since 2001 (prior to this the work of the BCW was administered by the Boundary Commission for England).
	The JAC began operation in April 2006. From April 2006 to September 2007 the JAC employed a communications advisor whose role included a 20 per cent. element of press work. The function is now shared as part of other roles within the JAC Communications team and accounts for about 20 per cent. of the time of one grade 7 officer and 10 per cent. of a senior information officer.
	Information regarding cost of Press Offices and numbers of press officers from agencies and NDPBs has been supplied by the individual organisations to the fullest extent possible, with regard to the historical nature of the question.
	With regard to the Ministry of Justice entry, prior to 2006-07, Press Office finances were recorded as part of the overall Communications Directorate budget. Therefore, specific Press Office costs prior to 2006-07 are unavailable. Press Office headcount figures prior to 2006-07 are unavailable.

Probation Board

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will request the Probation Board to engage in negotiations on pay, terms and conditions with its staff representatives.

Maria Eagle: The Probation Association representing the 42 employing probation boards and trusts are in negotiation with NAPO and Unison through the established forum of the National Probation Service National Negotiating Council the latest meeting of which is being held on 12 June. Negotiators are trying to agree an award that is acceptable to both the employers and the trade unions. This year's pay round follows on a three year pay modernisation programme that saw substantial increases in the pay of probation staff .

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people in England were  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of serious sexual assault in each of the last three years, broken down by region;
	(2)  how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of (i) assault and (ii) sexual assault on teachers in England in each of the last three years, broken down by region;
	(3)  how many people in England were  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of serious sexual assault in each of the last three years, broken down by region.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to serious sexual assault, in England and Wales by region, for the years 2004 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table.
	Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on prosecutions and convictions does not include details on the victim of a crime. It is therefore not possible to supply data showing the number of people prosecuted and convicted of assault and sexual assault on teachers.
	Court proceedings data held by the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on details surrounding a case such as the profession of the victim.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  N umber of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to serious sexual assault, in England and Wales by region, 2004-06( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			   2004  2005  2006  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 158 315 341 51 106 156 
			 North West 512 890 848 127 330 409 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 347 534 499 134 262 281 
			 East Midlands 304 510 442 91 173 197 
			 West Midlands 475 605 668 130 258 268 
			 East of England 313 465 429 75 180 179 
			 London 657 1,108 1,154 145 294 404 
			 South East 380 668 668 88 207 262 
			 South West 214 358 375 65 144 177 
			 Wales 263 315 284 69 114 94 
			 England and Wales 3,623 5,768 5,708 975 2,068 2,427 
			 (1 )Data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions :  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.1 Rape of a female aged under 16. Rape of a female aged 16 or over. Rape of a male aged under 16. Rape of a male aged 16 or over Attempted rape of a female aged under 16 Attempted rape of a female aged 16 or over Attempted rape of a male aged under 16. Attempted rape of a male aged 16 or over  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.2 Assault on a male by penetration Assault on a female by penetration  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.3 Sexual assault on a male. Sexual assault on a female.  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male Rape of a male child under 13 by a male Attempted rape of a female child under 13 by a male Attempted rape of a male child under 13 by a male Assault of a male child under 13 by penetration  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.6 Assault of a female child under 13 by penetration  Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.7 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 Sexual assault of a male child under 13 (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by CJEA - Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice.

Young Offender Institutions: Social Services

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many social workers are employed inside juvenile prisons.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families currently funds 20 social worker posts within young offender institutions. 15 of these posts are currently filled and five are vacant. Measures are being taken to fill these vacancies.

DEFENCE

Absent Without Leave

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many personnel went absent without leave in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in each year since 2003;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel went absent without leave in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows absence without leave statistics by calendar year for each service since 2003:
	
		
			   RN  Army  RAF 
			 2003 120 2,820 35 
			 2004 185 3,030 55 
			 2005 195 2,715 35 
			 2006 155 2,330 10 
			 2007 115 2,275 25 
			 2008 45 900 5 
			  Notes: 1. All services record AWOL statistics by the number of incidences of AWOL rather than the number of people who have gone AWOL, so there may be a number of people who are represented more than once in these figures. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five and are as at 16 June 2008. 3, Differences in figures for individual years compared to previous answers occur because personnel may have been wrongly reported as AWOL in the first instance, or conversely they may have subsequently been found to have been AWOL and the records rectified later. 
		
	
	No Royal Navy or Royal Air Force personnel have been reported as absent without leave in Iraq or Afghanistan. For the Army, information on geographical location is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel were dismissed from the armed forces due to drug abuse in each year since 2003, broken down by  (a) rank and  (b) service.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is provided in the following table. Figures for the Army are not available by rank.
	
		
			  Number discharged following a positive result at compulsory drug testing 
			  Year/ Rank  RN (including RM)  Army  RAF 
			  2003
			 Junior Rates/Ranks 50 n/a 20 
			 Warrant Officers/Senior Rates/Senior Non Commissioned Officers 0 n/a 0 
			 Officers and Cadets 0 n/a 0 
			 Total 50 406 20 
			 
			  2004
			 Junior Rates/Ranks 46 n/a 22 
			 Warrant Officers/Senior Rates/Senior Non Commissioned Officers 1 n/a 0 
			 Officers and Cadets 0 n/a 0 
			 Total 47 423 22 
			 
			  2005
			 Junior Rates/Ranks 39 n/a 20 
			 Warrant Officers/Senior Rates/Senior Non Commissioned Officers 0 n/a 0 
			 Officers and Cadets 0 n/a 0 
			 Total 39 573 20 
			 
			  2006
			 Junior Rates/Ranks 46 n/a 14 
			 Warrant Officers/Senior Rates/Senior Non Commissioned Officers 1 n/a 0 
			 Officers and Cadets 0 n/a 0 
			 Total 47 608 14 
			 
			  2007
			 Junior Rates/Ranks 42 n/a 12 
			 Warrant Officers/Senior Rates/Senior Non Commissioned Officers 1 n/a 0 
			 Officers and Cadets 0 n/a 0 
			 Total 43 610 12

Armed Forces: Flood Control

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were deployed to assist those affected by flooding in England and Wales during 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The armed forces provided assistance to the civil authorities on two occasions in 2007: in June during the flooding in Yorkshire and Humberside region and in July in the south west.
	In June 2007, during flooding in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, approximately 100 personnel drawn from the Army and the Royal Air Force were involved. In July 2007, during flooding in the south west, a total of approximately 1,000 personnel drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force were involved. This consisted of about 350 personnel deployed at any one time. All personnel were deployed at the request of the Environment Agency, and undertook tasks such as search and rescue, construction of emergency flood defences and the distribution of bulk and bottled water.

Armed Forces: Pay

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much and what proportion of the defence budget was spent on service pay in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is shown in the outturn figures for service salary and wages for 2003-04 to 2006-07 can be found in the departmental annual report and accounts. The relevant information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Service pay outturn (£ million)  Department total resource outturn (£ million)  Percentage of service pay against total outturn 
			 2006-07 8,422.935 34,004.995 24.77 
			 2005-06 8,262.776 34,862.134 23.70 
			 2004-05 8,047.195 32,561.830 24.71 
			 2003-04 7,973.835 34,651.226 23.01 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 will be published in the annual report and accounts later this year.

Armed Forces: Working Hours

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many on-duty hours as defined by the Defence Analytical Services Agency the  (a) armed forces,  (b) Royal Navy,  (c) Army and  (d) Royal Air Force undertook in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carry out a continuous sample survey of working patterns of service personnel.
	The 2006-07 Survey of Continuous Working Patterns report provides estimates of the average number of hours spent on-duty per week which is available in the Library of the House.
	The 2007-08 report is currently being compiled and is expected to be ready towards the end of 2008.

Army: Labour Turnover

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow of (i) Territorial Army, (ii) Royal Armoured Corps, (iii) Royal Artillery, (iv) Royal Engineers, (v) Royal Signals, (vi) infantry, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Army Chaplains Department, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Army Medical Corps, (xi) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (xii) Adjutant General's Corps, (xiii) Royal Army Veterinary Corps, (xiv) Small Arms School Corps, (xv) Royal Army Dentistry Corps, (xvi) Intelligence Corps, (xvii) Army Physical Training Corps and (xviii) Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps personnel was in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows total intake and outflow for Territorial personnel during the period 1 October 2003 to 28 February 2007. October 2003 is the earliest date for which reliable TA inflow and outflow is available.
	
		
			  Inflow and outflow of Territorial Army officers and soldiers by calendar year( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Calendar year  Inflow( 5)  Outflow( 6) 
			 2003 (1 October to 31 December) 3,360 2,370 
			 2004 7,690 9,410 
			 2005 8,650 8,240 
			 2006 8,560 9,920 
			 2007 (1 January to 28 February(7)) 1,020 1,700 
			 Notes: (1) The data exclude full-time Reserve Service (FTRS), non-regular permanent staff (NRPS) and mobilised TA but includes the Officer Training Corps (OTC). (2 )The data are based on flows during the period 1 October 2003 to 31 December 2003, calendar years 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the period 1 January 2007 to 28 February 2007. (3 )The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 'five' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. (4 )Figures are for both officers and soldiers. (5 )Inflow figures include all inflow e.g. intake from civil life and intake from other parts of the armed forces, but does not include the inflow of personnel returning from mobilisation. (6 )Outflow figures exclude those personnel who became mobilised. (7 )Due to ongoing data validation following the introduction of the new joint personnel administration (JPA) system, there is no TA flows information available since 1 March 2007. 
		
	
	The following tables show the inflow and outflow of the specified arms and service of the Regular Army by financial year since 1 April 1997.
	
		
			  Officer and soldier intake( 1)  from civilian life to UK Regular Army( 2)  by specified arm service and financial year from 1997 
			   Financial year of intake 
			  Arm service  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 3)  2007-08 
			 Royal Armoured Corp 630 840 750 740 730 780 600 290 610 630 (4)— 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 1,100 1,440 1,400 1,090 1,030 970 1,040 660 790 890 (4)— 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 1,160 1,200 1,140 1,200 1,340 1,580 1,120 950 1,480 1,270 (4)— 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 1,360 1,220 1,280 1,120 990 1,200 1,070 800 780 730 (4)— 
			 Infantry 5,400 6,240 6,180 5,490 5,240 5,230 4,880 3,590 3,620 3,990 (4)— 
			 Army Air Corps 90 260 230 180 180 180 360 260 240 180 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Chaplain's Department 10 10 20 10 10 10 (5)— 10 10 10 (4)— 
			 The Royal Logistics Corps 2,460 2,730 2,290 1,930 2,140 2,890 2,430 2,270 2,190 1,900 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 290 330 350 330 320 370 410 370 420 400 (4)— 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 980 940 990 1,090 1,310 1,540 1,460 1,100 1,290 1,250 (4)— 
			 Adjutant General's Corps 860 760 620 450 490 710 670 410 280 320 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 30 20 50 (4)— 
			 Small Arms School Corps (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (4)— 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 40 40 40 50 50 40 20 20 30 50 (4)— 
			 Intelligence Corps 100 140 120 160 130 100 110 110 160 170 (4)— 
			 Army Physical Training Corps (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (4)— 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 80 110 110 100 80 140 90 80 70 50 (4)— 
			 Total intake(6) 15,480 17,090 16,590 14,820 14,930 16,690 15,260 11,720 12,730 (7)14,300 (7)14,520 
			 (1 )Figures show all intake to UK Regular Army including re-enlistments and rejoined reservists. (2 )UK Regular Army excludes full-time Reserve Service personnel, Ghurkhas, the Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. (3 )2006-07 Arm Service split contains 11 months data due to the implementation of the JPA system. (4 )Denotes unavailable. (5 )Denotes zero or rounded to zero. (6 )The total intake figures contain all Arm Services, which includes the Household Cavalry Regiment, Corps of Army Music, the Long Service List and personnel with no Arm Service recorded on their Record of Service. Due to the implementation of the JPA system the Arm Service split is not yet available for financial year 2007-08. Excludes transfers into and out of Arm Service. (7 )Denotes provisional.  Notes: 1. Due to the ongoing validation of data from the new Personnel Administration System, Army statistics from 1 April 2007 are provisional and subject to review.  2. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 'five' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. 
		
	
	
		
			  Officer and soldier outflow( 1)  to civilian life from UK Regular Army( 2)  by specified Arm Service and financial year from 1997 
			  Financial year of outflow 
			  Arm Service  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 3)  2007-08 
			 Royal Armoured Corp 610 810 740 760 670 750 780 720 750 720 (4)— 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 1,110 1,390 1,340 1,220 1,120 1,130 1,210 1,190 1,040 1,200 (4)— 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 1,320 1,320 1,180 1,090 1,180 1,170 1,300 1,430 1,440 1,250 (4)— 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 1,400 1,340 1,150 1,320 1,150 1,000 1,010 1,070 1,030 960 (4)— 
			 Infantry 4,670 5,990 5,980 5,200 5,080 4,920 4,900 4,810 4,500 4,560 (4)— 
			 Army Air Corps 170 210 200 170 210 180 200 270 230 230 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Chaplain's Department 10 10 10 10 (5)— 10 10 10 10 10 (4)— 
			 The Royal Logistics Corps 2,470 2,740 2,620 2,520 2,120 2,450 2,350 2,390 2,160 2,330 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 240 320 250 290 310 280 280 340 320 300 (4)— 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 1,120 1,120 1,110 1,140 1,040 1,210 1,160 1,300 1,280 1,140 (4)— 
			 Adjutant General's Corps 700 920 850 750 750 750 800 760 750 710 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 20 20 20 20 30 20 20 20 30 20 (4)— 
			 Small Arms School Corps 10 10 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 (4)— 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 40 50 40 30 30 40 20 50 40 40 (4)— 
			 Intelligence Corps 150 170 140 150 110 110 70 100 120 140 (4)— 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 20 30 20 20 20 20 20 30 20 40 (4)— 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 110 100 100 80 60 90 80 110 90 80 (4)— 
			 Total intake(6) 14,470 17,050 16,200 15,230 14,380 14,560 14,600 15,070 14,190 (7)14,170 (7)15,320 
			 (1) Figures show all outflow from the UK Regular Army including recalled reservists on release and outflow to the Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment. (2 )UK Regular Army excludes full-time Reserve Service personnel, Ghurkhas, the Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. (3 )2006-07 Arm Service split contains 11 months data due to the implementation of the JPA system. (4 )Denotes unavailable. (5 )Denotes zero or rounded to zero. (6 )The total outflow figures contain all Arm Services, which includes the Household Cavalry Regiment, Corps of Army Music, the Long Service List and personnel with no Arm Service recorded on their Record of Service . Due to the implementation of the JPA system the Arm Service split is not yet available for financial year 2007-08. Excludes transfers into and out of Arm Service. (7 )Denotes provisional.  Notes: 1. Due to the ongoing validation of data from the new Personnel Administration System, Army statistics from 1 April 2007 are provisional and subject to review.  2. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 'five' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias.

Army: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) numbers in post and  (b) establishment are of (i) Territorial Army, (ii) Royal Armoured Corps, (iii) Royal Artillery, (iv) Royal Engineers, (v) Royal Signals, (vi) infantry, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Army Chaplains Department, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Army Medical Corps, (xi) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (xii) Adjutant General's Corps, (xiii) Royal Army Veterinary Corps, (xiv) Small Arms School Corps, (xv) Royal Army Dentistry Corps, (xvi) Intelligence Corps, (xvii) Army Physical Training Corps and (xviii) Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps personnel.

Bob Ainsworth: The following tables show the strengths for the Territorial Army, and the Regular Army strengths broken down by arms and services as at 1 April 2008. There are no establishment numbers produced for the Territorial Army. The Regular Army Liability (RAL) 2007-08 is still in use as RAL 2008-09 has yet to be issued.
	
		
			  Territorial Army strengths as at 1 April 2008 
			   Number 
			 Total Territorial Army (1)35,630 
			 Territorial Army (excluding Mobilised TA) (1)34,170 
			 Mobilised Territorial Army (1)1,460 
			 (1 )Provisional  Notes: 1. Due to the ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration System all Army data from 1 April 2007 are provisional and subject to review. 2. DASA figures prior to 1 April 2007 included TA personnel classed as 'awaiting acceptance'. There is no JPA equivalent for this category and therefore they are not included. 3. Data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias. 
		
	
	
		
			  Trained Regular Army officers and soldiers strengths by arms and services as at 1 April 2008 
			  Arms and services  Strengths (1 April 2008)  RAL  2007- 08 
			 Royal Armoured Corps(1) (2)5,520 5,758 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery (2)7,020 7,540 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers (2)9,110 9,698 
			 Royal Corps of Signals (2)7,930 8,194 
			 Infantry (2)22,700 (3)— 
			 Army Air Corps (2)2,020 2,068 
			 Royal Army Chaplain's Department (2)130 147 
			 The Royal Logistic Corps (2)15,170 16,178 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps (2)2,940 3,276 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (2)9,460 9,903 
			 Adjutant General's Corps(4) (2)6,030 6,157 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps (2)260 214 
			 Small Arms School Corps (2)150 143 
			 Royal Army Dentistry Corps (2)380 500 
			 Intelligence Corps (2)l,480 1,500 
			 Army Physical Training Corps (2)460 434 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (2)830 1,199 
			 (1) The RAL 2007-08 and the 1 April 2008 strength for the Royal Armoured Corps both include the Household Cavalry. (2) Provisional. (3) 2007-08 revised soldier liability for the infantry is still awaited from DGS. (4) The Adjutant General's Corps consists of the Provost Branch, Staff and Personnel Support Branch, Education and Training Services and the Army Legal Service.  Notes: 1. Due to the ongoing validation of the new Joint Personnel Administration System all Army data from 1 April 2007 are provisional and subject to review. 2. Above data are for trained regular personnel only and therefore excludes Ghurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service and Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment. 3. Data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias.

Army: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Army manning target is to be decreased under performance indicator 2.2 in his Department's plan for 2008 to 2012.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army's manpower targets as set out in the Defence Plan 2008 to 2012 reflect a small change in the Army's defined requirement. This is the product of a net reduction arising from a combination of enhancements measures to deliver new capabilities, efficiencies and savings measures, and the impact of change programmes such as the Head Office Streamlining and Defence Equipment and Support restructuring. As intimated at the time of publishing the Defence Plan, these figures were provisional. The subsequent outcome of our Planning Round 08, which introduced a number of enhancements, increased the Army's defined requirement better to meet the challenges it currently faces, as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2008-09 101,790 
			 2009-10 101,790 
			 2010-11 102,090 
			 2011-12 102,050

AWE Burghfield: Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of operation of AWE Burghfield was in the last year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested. Contract payments for AWE are made against an agreed programme of work that covers all AWE sites; Aldermaston, Burghfield and Blacknest. These costs are not recorded according to site.
	Total AWE expenditure for a number of years, including 2006-07, was reported at the end of last year and I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 400W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

Bomb Disposal

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions armed forces bomb disposal units have supported domestic counter-terrorism operations in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence maintains a capability to dispose of conventional munitions and to defeat improvised explosive devices in the UK in response to requests for assistance from UK police forces. Police forces do not distinguish between counter-terrorism and non-counter-terrorism events when they ask for assistance.
	The following table shows the number of occasions in each of the last five calendar years on which armed forces personnel have been called out to deal with explosive devices. Joint Services EOD Operations Centre record incidents according to type of device involved.
	
		
			   Type of device 
			   Conventional munitions  Improvised explosive device 
			 2003 2,678 1,377 
			 2004 2,355 1,160 
			 2005 2,549 974 
			 2006 2,725 741 
			 2007 2,352 666

Caribbean: Drugs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people of each nationality have been detained by British forces operating in the Caribbean in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: British forces operating in the Caribbean have not detained any people since 2001. Law Enforcement within the Overseas Territories' and Independent States is conducted by the host nation Law Enforcement Agencies.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the current financial year.

Bob Ainsworth: Yes. This information is available in JSP 530, The MOD chart of accounts manual for financial year 2008-09 incorporating MOD organisation and resource account code Hierarchies, copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the department's structure for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future years. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Departmental Offices

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on office refurbishment in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 126W.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008 , Official Report, columns 567-8W, on the Fairtrade initiative, how much his Department spent on refreshments for official departmental meetings and engagements in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of this expenditure was on Fairtrade products.

Derek Twigg: Expenditure for hospitality and entertainment is published in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	The MOD Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 are expected to be laid before the House in July.
	Information on the use of Fairtrade products is not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost .

Military Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the  (a) A400M and  (b) Typhoon Trade 3 project; and how many orders for each (i) have been received and (ii) are expected.

Bob Ainsworth: The first A400M aircraft is due to roll out in an official ceremony scheduled for 26 June 2008 at the Final Assembly Line in Seville. The new engine for A400M is installed on a Flying Test Bed and has been successfully ground run with a first flight expected soon. The company is aiming for a first flight for the A400M prototype later this year. We expect the UK to receive its first A400M, of 25 ordered, in 2011. Total orders worldwide are for 192 A400M aircraft with nine air forces.
	The UK has undertaken, through international MOU arrangements, to procure 232 Typhoon aircraft in three tranches. So far, the UK has contracted for the delivery of two tranches, comprising 144 aircraft. Negotiations, with Partner Nations and industry, are under way on Tranche 3 and are expected to continue throughout this year. It would be inappropriate at this stage to release information which might prejudice our negotiating position. Decisions will be taken once these negotiations are complete.

Military Exercises

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what type of  (a) land,  (b) air and  (c) sea exercises have been (i) cancelled and (ii) postponed as a result of increases in the cost of fuel in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: In the last 12 months, no training exercises have been cancelled or postponed as a result of increases in the cost of fuel.

Modern Housing Solutions: Complaints

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints Modern Housing Solutions received in each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) are responsible for the maintenance and repair of some 45,000 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales.
	The number of complaints received by MHS in each of the last 12 months is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Actual complaints received 
			 May 2007 474 
			 June 2007 425 
			 July 2007 795 
			 August 2007 541 
			 September 2007 703 
			 October 2007 828 
			 November 2007 759 
			 December 2007 519 
			 January 2008 658 
			 February 2008 612 
			 March 2008 562 
			 April 2008 731 
			 May 2008 622 
		
	
	These figures correct those provided in my answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 876-77W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) for the period May to December 2007.

Navy: Drug Seizures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Royal Navy in operations to intercept illicit drug shipments.

Bob Ainsworth: While the Royal Navy is not the lead on counter narcotic operations, it makes a significant contribution towards HMG efforts to combat international drug smuggling. Within the UK, it acts in support of the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Outside UK waters, it may be involved in efforts to reduce narcotics trafficking where other, higher priority tasks allow.

Navy: Seized Articles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total tonnage of illicit goods seized by the Royal Navy was in each year since 2005, broken down by region.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The demand for services to be provided in Welsh by the Department, its agencies and non-departmental bodies is minimal.
	The Department provides a Welsh language service for those people who prefer to deal with the Department in Welsh. The Department's Welsh Language Scheme, approved by the Welsh Language Board, is available in both English and Welsh on the MOD's website:
	www.mod.uk.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Social Enterprises

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what research he has commissioned on the role of social enterprises in the last three years.

Phil Hope: Within the last three years the Government have commissioned a range of research to strengthen the evidence base on social enterprise, including think pieces on social enterprise's future in ethical markets and in social innovation, and research on the strategic use of social enterprise by Government. The Government are investing £5 million in a Centre for Third Sector Research, which will launch later this year, covering the whole third sector.

Social Exclusion: Polyclinics

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the social exclusion task force will undertake research on the likely effects of the establishment of polyclinics on social exclusion.

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the social exclusion task force will undertake research into the effect of the introduction of polyclinics on social exclusion.

Edward Miliband: The Government are investing in 100 new traditional GP practices in under-doctored areas to counter social exclusion and 150 new GP-led health centres. Any decisions about polyclinics or other changes in health services are a matter for local PCTs and can only be made on the basis of compelling clinical evidence.

Social Exclusion

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the social exclusion task force will undertake research on the effects of post office closures on social exclusion.

Edward Miliband: The Government recognise the social and economic role of post offices in local communities. Our subsidy to the post office of £1.7 billion between now and 2011 is helping to maintain a national network with national coverage ensuring that all areas, including rural and deprived urban areas, will continue to have reasonable access to Post Office Services.

Early Intervention Policies

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the creation of a national assessment centre for early intervention policies; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Early intervention is a key principle highlighted in the Social Exclusion Action Plan and we continue to work with the Department of Children, Schools and Families, as well as all our other partners across Government, in identifying and testing innovative approaches to preventing social exclusion.

Community Assets Programme

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the performance of the community assets programme.

Edward Miliband: The community assets programme received a large number of excellent bids in areas from the arts to social enterprise to youth services. The programme itself and the difference it is making will be fully evaluated in 2010.

Civil Servants: Pay

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his policy is on linking Civil Service pay to productivity.

Tom Watson: Civil service pay awards reflect an individual's outputs, results and performance against pre-agreed objectives. Under the delegated arrangements for staff below the senior civil service, Departments and agencies are required to have reward systems that include a close and effective link between pay and performance. For the senior civil service, for which pay is managed centrally by the Cabinet Office, non-consolidated payments (which have to be earned each year) are used to incentivise staff to deliver business objectives successfully.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based.

Tom Watson: Since the introduction of resource accounting in 1999-2000 annual estimates of the unfunded liability for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are published each year in the resource accounts of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The most recent set of resource accounts are for 2006-07 and these contain the discount rate assumption. The scheme actuary used the same longevity assumptions as applied at the full scheme valuation as at 31 March 2003. A copy of this report, "Review of the Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges (ALSCs) as at 31 March 2003" is available on the civil service pensions website at:
	http://www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk/facts_and_figures.aspx.
	Before the introduction of resource accounting in 1999-2000 the accounting arrangements in place did not include estimates of pension liabilities. However, for the estimated liability in 1997-98, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in the other place by the noble Lord McIntosh of Haringey to the noble Lord Blackwell on 4 July 2000,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA129.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timescale is for the Government's research on possible relationships between the pricing and availability of alcohol and harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption; what issues will be considered in that research; who will be consulted as part of the research; and whether the research will address the below-cost selling of alcohol by supermarkets.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's Policy Research Programme has commissioned a single team comprising different disciplines and expertise from Sheffield University, School of Health and Related Research to carry out an independent review of the evidence on how and in what circumstances price and promotion drive consumption of alcohol and harms from alcohol.
	This includes looking at how advertising, price and promotion of alcohol affect consumption and the potential implications of changes in the price and promotion on health, crime, the alcohol industry and consumers.
	The review has two phases:
	Phase 1 is a systematic review of the evidence from published and grey literature on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion, consumption and harm; and
	Phase 2 is a modelling exercise to explore the impact of potential policy changes in this area.
	The Review is an independent review of evidence. Any Government proposals for legislation or other action arising from the review would be the subject of formal consultation. The review team began work in the first week of January 2008 and are expected to report by summer 2008. Some of the issues considered under Phase 1 include discounting, price-based promotions below-cost selling and advertising.

Continuing Care

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people receive NHS continuing care services in each primary care trust; and how many people per 50,000 of each trust area's population this represents.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people receiving continuing National Health Service healthcare, England, quarter four 2007-08 
			  Org code  Organisation  Number of people receiving continuing NHS health care  Number of people receiving continuing NHS health care per 50,000 population 
			  England 38,168 38 
			 
			 5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust 415 69 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 155 47 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 313 47 
			 5JE Barnsley PCT 60 13 
			 5ET Bassetlaw PCT 23 11 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 421 115 
			 5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 162 20 
			 5QG Berkshire East PCT 379 50 
			 5QF Berkshire West PCT 246 27 
			 TAK Bexley Care Trust 135 32 
			 5PG Birmingham East and North PCT 183 23 
			 5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT 46 15 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 72 26 
			 5HQ Bolton PCT 169 32 
			 5QN Bournemouth and Poole PCT 283 45 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale PCT 261 26 
			 5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 567 101 
			 5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 731 142 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 217 26 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 167 28 
			 5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 373 38 
			 5JX Bury PCT 37 10 
			 5J6 Calderdale PCT 156 39 
			 5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 245 22 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 115 25 
			 5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 221 25 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 243 28 
			 5C3 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 215 48 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 660 63 
			 5ND County Durham PCT 529 52 
			 5MD Coventry Teaching PCT 441 68 
			 5K9 Croydon PCT 987 149 
			 5NE Cumbria PCT 115 11 
			 5J9 Darlington PCT 99 51 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT 222 41 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 789 57 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 853 59 
			 5N5 Doncaster PCT 360 62 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 819 108 
			 5PE Dudley PCT 296 49 
			 5HX Ealing PCT 80 13 
			 5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 207 19 
			 5NH East Lancashire PCT 129 17 
			 5NW East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 48 8 
			 5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 181 28 
			 5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 329 23 
			 5C1 Enfield PCT 208 39 
			 5KF Gateshead PCT 162 42 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 101 9 
			 5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 79 18 
			 5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 303 66 
			 5NM Halton and St. Helens PCT 201 33 
			 5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 75 22 
			 5QC Hampshire PCT 1,740 71 
			 5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 210 44 
			 5K6 Harrow PCT 277 70 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 133 73 
			 5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 155 45 
			 5A4 Havering PCT 301 64 
			 5MX Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 267 47 
			 5CN Herefordshire PCT 149 43 
			 5NQ Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 105 26 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 394 82 
			 SHY Hounslow PCT 295 67 
			 5NX Hull PCT 187 34 
			 5QT Isle of Wight NHS PCT 192 70 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 135 36 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 205 54 
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 74 22 
			 5N2 Kirklees PCT 246 32 
			 5J4 Knowsley PCT 118 39 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 249 43 
			 5N1 Leeds PCT 677 45 
			 5PC Leicester City PCT 163 27 
			 5PA Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 352 28 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 249 49 
			 5N9 Lincolnshire PCT 77 6 
			 5NL Liverpool PCT 285 32 
			 5GC Luton PCT 245 67 
			 5NT Manchester PCT 543 57 
			 5L3 Medway PCT 177 33 
			 5PX Mid Essex PCT 98 14 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 159 55 
			 5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 61 13 
			 5D7 Newcastle PCT 125 24 
			 5C5 Newham PCT 215 42 
			 5PQ Norfolk PCT 301 21 
			 5PW North East Essex PCT 83 13 
			 TAN North East Lincolnshire Care Trust 123 37 
			 5NF North Lancashire PCT 200 31 
			 5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 103 33 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 70 18 
			 5PH North Staffordshire PCT 133 33 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 167 45 
			 5D8 North Tyneside PCT 160 39 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 232 15 
			 5PD Northamptonshire PCT 391 30 
			 TAC Northumberland Care Trust 216 35 
			 5EM Nottingham City PCT 144 24 
			 5N8 Nottinghamshire County PCT 353 28 
			 5J5 Oldham PCT 219 49 
			 5QE Oxfordshire PCT 364 30 
			 5PN Peterborough PCT 71 24 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 434 88 
			 5FE Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 209 53 
			 5NA Redbridge PCT 181 38 
			 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 65 24 
			 5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 104 30 
			 5H8 Rotherham PCT 122 25 
			 5F5 Salford PCT 250 56 
			 5PF Sandwell PCT 80 13 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 161 30 
			 5N4 Sheffield PCT 299 28 
			 5M2 Shropshire County PCT 280 49 
			 TAM Solihull Care Trust 136 33 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 214 21 
			 5M1 South Birmingham PCT 104 15 
			 5P1 South East Essex PCT 65 10 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 32 7 
			 5PK South Staffordshire PCT 310 27 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT 117 39 
			 5PY South West Essex PCT 62 8 
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT 238 49 
			 5LE Southwark PCT 161 32 
			 5F7 Stockport PCT 161 29 
			 5PJ Stoke on Trent PCT 148 29 
			 5PT Suffolk PCT 152 13 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 304 55 
			 5P5 Surrey PCT 543 26 
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 194 26 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 79 21 
			 5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 191 42 
			 5MK Telford and Wrekin PCT 214 66 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 682 247 
			 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 195 46 
			 5NR Trafford PCT 60 14 
			 5N3 Wakefield District PCT 173 26 
			 5M3 Walsall Teaching PCT 534 107 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 124 27 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 60 11 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 108 28 
			 5PM Warwickshire PCT 497 49 
			 5PV West Essex PCT 75 14 
			 5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 307 29 
			 5P9 West Kent PCT 300 23 
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT 1,151 75 
			 5NN Western Cheshire PCT 131 27 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 186 40 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 325 38 
			 5NK Wirral PCT 112 18 
			 5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 227 48 
			 5PL Worcestershire PCT 235 22 
			  Source: Department of Health form: Local delivery plan return Commissioner; general practitioner membership populations—attribution data set 2007 reconciled to Office for National Statistics mid 2006 estimates for local authorities (minus special populations), and the Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Dental Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many dentists were listed on the primary care NHS list for  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available;
	(2)  how many NHS dentists there were in  (a) Essex and  (b) Southend-on-Sea in each year since 1997; what steps he (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to increase the number of NHS dentists in each area; what recent representations he has received about the provision of NHS dentists in each area; what recent discussions he has had on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The number of national health service dentists on primary care trust (PCT) lists in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex E of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006" report. The information is provided by strategic health authority (SHA) and by PCT. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006.
	This publication is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	The number of dentists on open NHS contracts in England as at 30 June 2006, 30 September 2006, 31 December 2006, and 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006/07 report". This information is based on the new contractual arrangements introduced on 1 April 2006. The information is provided by SHA and by PCT.
	This publication is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	The numbers quoted are headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part- time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Increasing the number of patients seen within NHS dental services is now a formal priority in "The Operating Framework. For The NHS in England 2008-09" and we have supported this with an 11 per cent. uplift in overall dental allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
	The Department does not have any record of any recent representations made to the Secretary of State for Health on the provision of dental services in Southend-on-sea or in Essex SHA, nor any record of recent discussions on this issue.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were on a waiting list for an NHS dentist in  (a) Southend West constituency,  (b) Essex and  (c) England (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine how best to manage patients seeking NHS dental services.
	However, increasing the number of patients seen within NHS dental services is now a formal priority in "The Operating Framework. For the NHS in England 2008-09". We have supported this with an 11 per cent. uplift in overall dental allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008. Copies of the Operating Framework are available in the Library.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the current financial year.

Ben Bradshaw: The chart of accounts for 31 May 2008 has been placed in the Library and reflects the Department's structure at that date and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future periods. The chart shows the relationship between parent codes (used for preparing resource accounts) and children codes (used for more detailed management purposes). Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of his Department's employees are (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The latest available data on the gender of civil servants are as at 31 December 2007 and are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as part of their wider Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics. Information can be accessed via the following website:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=13615
	The latest available data on the ethnic background and the disability status of civil servants in Departments and agencies are as at 30 September 2006 and are also published by ONS as Civil Service Statistics 2006. Information can be accessed from the following websites:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899&Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=422
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf
	Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary.
	Information on civil servants' sexual orientation is not currently collected or published.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows a breakdown of the amount spent on overseas mail in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Royal Mail  Point to Point 
			 2008 n/a (1)— 
			 2007 3,486.21 (1)— 
			 2006 6,931.16 (1)— 
			 2005 6,310.53 3,314.47 
			 2004 5,117.47 5,134.80 
			 2003 5,414.84 n/a 
			 2002 7,109.41 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) May 2006 to May 2008 total is £8,683.15.

Dietary Supplements

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the continued availability of higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements under the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the results of the Food Standard Agency's customer survey into consumption patterns of folic acid products and  (b) the implications of the survey results for the Agency's modelling of folic acid intake from food supplements and fortified foods;
	(3)  on what date the Food Standards Agency wrote to the European Commission to seek clarification of the legal implications of the decisions of the European Food Safety Authority that there was insufficient evidence upon which to assess the status of vanadium; and what response the Agency has received;
	(4)  when he expects the relevant Council of Ministers Working Group next to be convened further to discuss the setting of maximum permitted levels of food supplements.

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has received representations recently from some sectors of the food industry and Consumers for Health Choice in support of the continued availability of higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements.
	The aim of the FSA's consumer research on food supplements was to gain a better understanding of United Kingdom consumers' consumption of vitamin and mineral food supplements and an insight into what motivates consumers to take these supplements. This research was not commissioned, or designed, to obtain data on consumption patterns to support the FSA's work on folic acid fortification. The results of the research will not be used in the modelling of folic acid intake.
	Following the European Food Safety Authority's inconclusive opinion on the safety of six vanadium substances due to the lack of available data, the FSA wrote to the European Commission on 7 March 2008 requesting its views on the status of these substances as regards their use in food supplements. To date the FSA has not received a reply from the European Commission.
	The date of the next European Commission-led working group meeting with member states in connection with setting levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements has not yet been notified.

Dispensing Practices

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of changes in the number of jobs in the dispensary and ancillary service areas of dispensing practices as a result of the proposed changes outlined in the Pharmacy White Paper;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on rural GP practices of the proposed changes to dispensing powers outlined in the Pharmacy White Paper.

Dawn Primarolo: The White Paper "Pharmacy in England; Building on Strengths—Delivering the Future" looks at aligning the future provision of pharmaceutical services and sets out proposals to look at the market entry criteria for doctors and pharmacists—but no decision has yet been taken on the criteria to be used in future for patients to receive pharmaceutical services from their general practitioner. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
	A consultation paper will be launched in late summer after the publication of the primary and community care strategy. We will consider fully the impact of any proposals on patients, the national health service and contractors.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by the Department and  (b) within the sector for which he has policy responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Ending unfair age discrimination is one of the many priorities for the Department. Therefore, action to address age discrimination in health and social care services is not new and was central to the "National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People", published in 2001. Copies of this publication are available in the Library. The NSF set out to develop actions to address age discrimination in the first of the eight standards it set. Notable progress includes an increase in the proportion of older people receiving intensive help to maintain high quality, independent lives at home and a continuing improvement in specialist services for age-related needs such as stroke and falls.
	More broadly, the Government will shortly be publishing their response to the consultation paper on proposals for the Equality Bill which signalled that it is considering the case for prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services and for a single public sector duty extended to cover age.

Food Standards Agency: Belgium

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the Chief Executive or other senior officials at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have travelled to Brussels to hold events which have in part aimed to outline and promote the FSA's Multiple Traffic Light labelling scheme in the last two years.

Dawn Primarolo: During the last two years, the chair of the Food Standards Agency has attended one event in Brussels to outline and promote multiple traffic light labelling. This was also attended by senior officials.
	In addition to this, the chief executive and other senior officials attended a further meeting in Brussels which briefly discussed signpost labelling.

General Practitioners: Fees and Charges

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines cover  (a) the charging for letters sent by GPs to patients and  (b) the use of revenue accruing from such charges.

Ben Bradshaw: General practitioners (GPs) may provide a variety of services that are private matters between the patient and the doctor providing the service. It is for the doctor to decide which private services he wishes to provide and the level of fee. The use of revenue accruing from such charges would be a matter for the GP practice to decide. General Medical Council guidance "Good Medical Practice" advises GPs on financial and commercial dealings with patients.

Health Professions: Vetting

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether people employed in the private health sector are required to have Criminal Records Bureau checks carried out on them; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 16 June 2008
	Private health providers are already under an obligation to carry out Criminal Records Bureau checks. Contractors working in a national health service trust should be checked to the same level and standards as staff directly employed by the trust.

Hospital Beds

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2008,  Official Report, column 200W, on hospital beds, 
	(1)  how many hospital beds are in single rooms in each NHS trust; and what proportion of all beds this represents in each trust;
	(2)  what percentage of beds were in single rooms in  (a) acute,  (b) geriatric,  (c) mental illness,  (d) learning disability and  (e) maternity wards;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of additional single rooms that will be provided on the basis of current projections for hospital building and refurbishment projects already underway;
	(4)  what percentage of beds were in single rooms, excluding intensive care and children's beds.

Ben Bradshaw: All national health service trusts make an informed choice regarding the appropriate percentage of single room provision in new or refurbished developments, based on clinical and operational considerations such as site restrictions and affordability.
	Data is held centrally on 33 private finance initiative and public capital funded new hospital schemes currently under construction or in procurement (capital value over £25 million and approved by the Department). Details of these schemes which have a total value of some £6.5 billion, have been placed in the Library and show the percentage of single rooms being provided in the construction or proposed.
	The Department's guidance for new hospital developments is that the proportion of single rooms should aim to be 50 per cent., but should not fall below 20 per cent., and must be higher than the facilities they are replacing. The policy and design guidance for the provision of single rooms in mental health accommodation is 100 per cent.
	For the existing health estate, the Department makes a retrospective collection of information about the number of available beds at each NHS trust site and the proportion of those beds that are in single rooms. This information has also been placed in the Library. As the data is collected on a site rather than a ward basis, it is not possible separately to identify the number of single rooms each trust may use 'specifically to deliver geriatric care, children's services, intensive care or maternity services. Information about single room provision in the specific trust types requested (acute, mental health and learning disability) has also been placed in the Library.
	All the information given relates to the NHS in England. Information provided in my previous answer to the hon. Member on 20 May 2008,  Official Report, column 200W, stated that the proportion of available beds in England that are in single rooms had risen from 22.6 per cent. in 2002-2003 to 27.9 per cent. in 2006-07. Due to an error, the figure given for 2006-07 related to the position for England and Wales when it should have reflected the position in England for which the correct figure in 2006-07 is 28.3 per cent.

Hospitals: Admissions

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of administering an admission to hospital in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The specific information requested cannot be provided, as it is not collected centrally.
	Information is available on the average cost of a wide range of services provided in hospitals. These average cost figures include all of the cost elements associated with a patient's care, such as administering an admission, but these are not separately identified.
	Average cost data is collected each year through the "NHS Reference Cost 2006-07" collection exercise. A copy of the national schedule of reference costs for 2006-07 is available in the Library, and is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082571

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files his Department holds on  (a) the Adoption (Amendment) Bill of Session 1989-90,  (b) the Human Fertilisation (Choice) Bill of Session 1992-93 and  (c) the Freezing of Human Embryos Bill of Session 1995-96; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Adoption policy is now dealt with by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. That Department can find no specific files with the title 'The Adoption (Amendment) Bill of session 1989-90'.
	No files are held with this specific title 'The Human Fertilisation (Choice) Bill of Session 1992-93'.
	The Department holds two files on the storage of sperm and embryos and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Code of Practice on storage of sperm and embryos, relating to the period mentioned.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received by the Healthcare Commission about non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatments in the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Prior to November 2007, the Healthcare Commission did not collate this information centrally. Since November 2007, 51 complaints have been received by the Healthcare Commission about non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatment.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse incidents have been reported to the Healthcare Commission from the use of laser and intense pulsed light devices in non-surgical treatments in the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Prior to May 2007, the Healthcare Commission did not collate this information centrally. Since May 2007, the Healthcare Commission has received eight notifications for adverse incidents in establishments registered to provide laser and light services.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) the basis and  (b) method was used for calculating the figure of 400 treatments by laser and intense pulsed light establishments per annum referred to in his Department's Private and Voluntary Healthcare: Care Standards Act 2000—regulations and national minimum standards consultation document.

Ben Bradshaw: Following professional judgment after consideration of all the available evidence, a working assumption of 400 treatments per annum was drawn up for the Partial Impact Assessment. We expect that the consultation exercise, which closed on 10 June 2008, will provide information to enable the Department to refine this figure.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated by the NHS for laser or intense pulsed light injuries to the skin in the last five years; and how many of these were known to be caused by private non-surgical treatment providers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect data regarding this type of injury; neither does it collect information from private non-surgical treatment providers.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of non-surgical treatment providers using laser or intense pulsed light devices in England; and how many such establishments are registered with the Healthcare Commission.

Ben Bradshaw: Private or voluntary organisations providing healthcare services as defined in the Care Standards Act 2000 are required to register with the Healthcare Commission, and to meet the requirements of legislation before they can provide services. There are 941 establishments registered with the Healthcare Commission to provide non-surgical treatment using Class 3B and 4 lasers and intense pulsed lights.

NHS: Public Participation

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will ring-fence funding for annual health checks for those with learning disabilities;
	(2)  which organisations are to be consulted on his Department's proposals on investment and clinical services announced on 4 May 2008;
	(3)  what the terms of reference are for the consultation on his Department's proposals on investment in access and clinical services announced on 4 May 2008;
	(4)  what discussions his Department has had with the British Medical Association in the last two months on his Department's proposals on investment in access and clinical services announced on 4 May 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Through NHS Employers, we have been consulting the British Medical Association (BMA) on a package of investment of up to £100 million through existing general practitioner (GP) practices to further improve care and services for patients, this will included targeted improvements especially for vulnerable patients such as those with severe learning difficulties. These arrangements are linked to the agreement reached with the BMA on investing 1.5 per cent. increase in resources for the provision of primary medical care services, including the cost of funding the independent review bodies pay recommendation for GPs for 2007-08.
	A detailed written proposal to implement the Doctors' and Dentists Pay Review Body recommendations for GPs has been sent to the BMA's General Practitioners Committee. This will also provide changes that need to be made to the Statement of Financial Entitlements to introduce the new enhanced patient services set out in the press release of 4 May 2008.

SARS

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking  (a) with EU partners and  (b) through the World Health Organisation to tackle severe acute respiratory syndrome;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likelihood of a global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what contingency arrangements his Department has in place to deal with a global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Dawn Primarolo: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has not been detected anywhere in the world since the last case in 2004. The Department works with its EU partners through the Health Security Committee, the European Commission's Early Warning and Response System and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to monitor emerging health threats and ensure rapid notification of any cases. The measures put in place during the previous global outbreak demonstrated that outbreaks of SARS can be contained and a global pandemic prevented.
	The Department also works in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) which maintains vigilance to the possibility of re-emergence of SARS, and would co-ordinate the international response to an outbreak. Case definitions for SARS cases have been internationally agreed and through the Global Alert and Response Network the UK will be rapidly notified of cases of SARS occurring anywhere in the world.
	The Department has developed a contingency plan in case this disease re-emerges, and has agreed the appropriate public health response for SARS. This plan is based upon our response to that outbreak and our generic preparedness for dealing with any infectious disease outbreak or newly emerging threat, and takes account of WHO guidance.
	The integrated public health and health service response to any SARS cases occurring in the UK would focus upon rapid detection of disease, preventing person to person transmission, containing the outbreak and provision of appropriate patient care. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) also developed detailed advice for clinicians on the rapid detection and diagnosis of infection and treatment of patients. The plan and guidance documents are not currently displayed on the Department's or the HPA's website as the disease has not been present globally since 2004, but would be activated upon notification of a new SARS case anywhere in the world.

Vioxx

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to compensate individuals who had adverse health outcomes from their prescribed use of the drug Vioxx; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 16 June 2008
	The Department has not paid compensation to individuals who suffered adverse health outcomes from their prescribed use of the drug Vioxx. The correct means of seeking such compensation would be through the courts.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has contributed to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed a total of £240 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) since 2002, including £55 million in 2007-08.

Afghanistan: Schools

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of efforts to establish a stable schooling structure in the Helmand region of Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: According to the Department of Education (DoE) in Helmand, at the beginning of 2008 there were 224 registered schools, yet only around 50 schools were open and active and only three of these were high schools. In response, the Afghanistan Ministry of Education (MoE), the DoE and the Governor of Helmand agreed a joint education plan, which is now under implementation. The plan is financed by the Danish Government through the UK-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Helmand, with a budget of $6 million for 2008. As well as the construction of schools and dormitories and refurbishment of the DoE, the programme will provide teacher training and support to high school students from districts across Helmand.
	Since commencement of this new programme in January 2008, 10 schools have re-opened in the district of Nad Ali, giving an estimated 10 per cent. increase in the number of students in the district. In Musa Qala one school has been opened with fifty teachers registered. The building of three more schools in Musa Qala has been contracted, and one is already under construction. There has also been an increased number of requests for the construction of schools in Lashkar Gah, Nahr-e Saraj (Gereshk), Nawa, Nad Ali and Garmsir.

Africa: HIV Infection

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of funding under the updated AIDS strategy Achieving Universal Access Financial Aid will be received by  (a) Botswana,  (b) Namibia,  (c) South Africa,  (d) Mozambique and  (e) Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: It is not yet possible to say what percentages of the £6 billion commitment announced in the Government's updated strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world "Achieving Universal Access" will be received by Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
	A copy of the updated strategy and supporting evidence paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These are also available on the Department for International Development (DFID) website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk.

Africa: Malaria

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department is making to tackling malaria in  (a) Senegal,  (b) Mali,  (c) Malawi and  (d) Tanzania; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development is helping to combat malaria through our country programmes and through our support of international organisations and research.
	In Malawi, DFID is providing £100 million to support the health sector programme in over six years. This includes support to Malawi's National Malaria Strategy, which prioritises malaria prevention, case management, treatment and education. To date, over 2.5 million insecticide-treated nets have been distributed. Over one-third of pregnant women and under-fives now sleep under bed nets, and the reported number of clinical episodes of malaria has declined by one-third.
	In Tanzania, we provide general budget support to Government. This amounted to £105 million in 2007-08. Approximately 17 per cent. of the national budget was provided to the Ministry of Health which has a programme of action to tackle malaria. In addition, DFID has provided £14 million over a period of nine years from 1998 to 2007 to the Smartnet programme, an initiative to increase the use and treatment of bed nets to protect people, particularly in rural areas from infection. A nationwide survey conducted in April 2007 showed that 63 per cent. of pregnant women and 69 per cent. of under-fives slept under a net the previous night.
	DFID does not have bilateral programmes in Senegal and Mali. However, some of the international organisations we support like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria work in these countries.
	DFID is one of the biggest contributors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which accounts for nearly 64 per cent. of all international financing for malaria. To date, the fund has approved a total of US $10.8 billion to more than 550 grants in 136 countries; it has disbursed US $5.5 billion. 25 per cent. of approved funding is for malaria programmes.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which African states receive poverty reduction budget support from the UK; and how much each was allocated in 2007-08.

Douglas Alexander: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) Poverty Reduction Budget Support given to African countries in 2007-08 are available in table 5.3, page 93, of the 2008 annual report; "Development: Making it Happen". This publication is available in the Library of the House and online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage change in levels of bilateral aid to Africa there was between 2004-05 and 2007-08; and how this change compared to commitments made at the G8 and EU summits in 2005.

Douglas Alexander: DFID bilateral expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa in 2006-07 was £1,107 million, an increase of 34 per cent. over the 2004-05 total of £825 million. DFID bilateral expenditure data for 2007-08 will be available in July 2008.
	At the 2005 G8 summit the UK committed to double its bilateral aid to Africa between 2003-04 and 2007-08. DFID bilateral expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa in 2006-07 was 65 per cent. higher than the 2003-04 baseline of £672 million.

Childbirth

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made towards establishing a global register of all births, deaths and the causes of death; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UN Statistical division compiles birth and death information and the World Health Organisation (WHO) cause of death information from all countries on an annual basis. However, there is no single global register of all births, deaths and causes of death and no UN agency currently has responsibility for registering births and deaths.

Cocoa

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of independent certification of cocoa industry supply chains; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no plans to undertake an assessment of the certification of cocoa industry supply chains. We are aware that the industry, in collaboration with the Governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, is developing a certification process. We understand that both countries are currently on track to complete the survey of at least 50 per cent. of the cocoa producing areas by July 2008 which is the next target in the development of the certification process.

Cocoa: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to raise consumer awareness of the conditions in which children are working in the cocoa industry.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development is working to raise awareness of the power that consumers can wield through their shopping choices, for example, in our work with national and regional media, in publications such as "The Rough Guide to a Better World", and by supporting development awareness programmes. We will continue to develop further communications activities which serve to highlight the benefits of buying products that are fairly, ethically and sustainably sourced.

Cocoa: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to tackle child  (a) trafficking and  (b) labour standards in the cocoa industry in West Africa.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not support projects which specifically target trafficking or child labour in the cocoa industry in West Africa. DFID supports a wide range of activities that tackle the underlying poverty which makes children vulnerable to trafficking and exploitative labour in cocoa production and other industries. In Ghana, one of the largest cocoa producing countries in the region, this includes support to ensure all children are able to go to school, helping the mainstreaming of children's concerns in key Government programmes and policies, and supporting the development of the national social protection strategy.
	We support the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) whose technical assistance programmes help governments to tackle trafficking and implement labour standards. In addition we work with civil society and business organisations to promote fair, ethical and sustainable trade.

Cocoa: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential of the Harkin-Engel Protocol to contribute to tackling child trafficking in the cocoa industry; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government have not undertaken any specific assessment of the potential of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
	It is an agreement between the industry, civil society and the Governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. The Department for International Development (DFID) strongly endorses the objective of the Protocol—to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in cocoa production. We welcome the voluntary engagement of all the stakeholders, an essential part of any long-term, sustainable approach to tackle trafficking and child labour.

Cocoa: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by what means he ensures that his Department's funding to the cocoa industry in developing countries does not go to companies who use trafficked children in their supply chain.

Gareth Thomas: Although communities in cocoa growing areas may benefit from UK development assistance, the Department for International Development (DFID) is not providing funding to the cocoa industry. In the past DFID Ghana has provided support to cocoa farmers' associations to develop fairtrade chocolate under the 'Divine' brand. The conditions of fairtrade certification require good working conditions in the farming communities which would include the elimination of trafficked or harmful child labour.
	Individual companies in the cocoa industry can apply for funding under schemes such as the new Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund. But successful applicants have to demonstrate that the project offers new and innovative ideas which will benefit poor rural communities. The social and economic impacts of projects will be monitored and assessed.

Congo: World Food Programme

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK's contribution to the World Food Programme for programmes in  (a) the Congo and  (b) Mozambique is for 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The information is as follows:
	 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
	In the DRC, the Department for International Development (DFID) makes the bulk of its humanitarian contributions through the UN's global Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), and through a national pooled fund. In 2008-09, DFID is the largest contributor to CERF, contributing £40 million (20 per cent. of the total), and expects to contribute £30 million to the pooled fund. For both funds, the decision as to how the money is spent is at the discretion of the UN. At this early stage in the year, it is therefore difficult to predict how much the World Food Programme (WFP) is likely to receive from these two sources. In 2007, the WFP received £7.25 million total from CERF and the pooled fund.
	 Mozambique
	During 2008-09, the WFP is likely to benefit from allocations from the UN's global CERF, to which DFID is the largest contributor. At this early stage in the year, it is difficult to predict how much WFP is likely to receive from this source. DFID currently does not have plans to contribute directly to the World Food Programme in Mozambique in 2008-09.
	In 2007-08, DFID's contribution to the WFP was £250,000. Through CERF, the WFP received £2 million.

Departmental Accountancy

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's  (a) chart of accounts and  (b) resource account codes and usage descriptions for the 2008-09 financial year.

Douglas Alexander: I will place a copy of my Department's 2008-09 chart of accounts and resource accounts and usage descriptions in the Library.
	The chart of accounts for 2008-09 reflects the Department's structure for the year and will not necessarily reflect the 2007-08 structure, or that for future years. The codes used in the chart are also used for preparing resource accounts. Each code has a brief description that describes its use.

Developing Countries

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of performance against public service agreements for 2005 to 2008 in the 16 monitored countries.

Douglas Alexander: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) assessment of its performance against the Public Service Agreement for 2005 to 2008 in the 16 key African countries are available in Annex 4, page 261, of the 2008 DFID Annual Report 'Development: Making it Happen'. This publication is available in the Library of the House and online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Developing Countries

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources he has allocated to monitoring performance against the public service agreements for 2005 to 2008.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) public service agreement (PSA) for 2005-08 was at the core of the Department's corporate performance framework. The 2005-08 PSA was monitored by a central team of professional statistical advisers in the finance and corporate performance division who compiled data on a quarterly basis from country offices and divisions. This was then provided to the management board in the quarterly management report, autumn performance report and annual report, all of which are available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Developing Countries: Children

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on child protection systems in developing countries in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development supports child protection systems in developing countries through UNICEF, OCHA and Save the Children.
	Between 2004-05 and 2006-07, DFID provided £19 million in unearmarked core funding each year to UNICEF. In 2007-08 DFID provided £21 million in unearmarked core funding. This is used by UNICEF according to the priorities in their medium term strategic plan which includes the key area of child protection. UNICEF spend 10.5 per cent. of overall funding per year on child protection.
	In addition to this DFID a major donor to the Protection Capacity programme (PROCAP), a UN project that aims to create a pool of highly qualified child protection officers, including to lead and coordinate humanitarian protection work in emergencies, including child protection activities. We have spent £1 million on this project since 2005, through the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
	DFID also agreed in 2006 to provide £1.3 million over five years to Save the Children UK to recruit and train 47 child protection specialists able to deploy to various emergencies. As a result of this project, over 360,000 vulnerable children will benefit, in addition to further multiplier effects as their experience impacts in the wider humanitarian system.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates the cross-Whitehall working group on tackling AIDS in the developing world has met since 2005; what future meetings are planned; and what work the group is undertaking on the implementation of  (a) the new AIDS Strategy and  (b) the promise of Universal Access to health care; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Since 2005, the cross-Whitehall Coherence Group on Tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world has met three times; in February and September 2006 and in February 2007. Since then several separate meetings, involving Department for International Development (DFID) officials and officials from individual Departments have been held. It is anticipated that the group will meet again before the summer recess to discuss plans for implementation and monitoring of "Achieving Universal Access", the Government's updated strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world, published in June 2008. A copy of the updated strategy and supporting evidence paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These are also available on the Department for International Development (DFID) website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Developing Countries: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which 10 developing countries receive the most official development aid from international donors; and how much each country received from the UK in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: Details on the level of total net bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) over the last three years for which data is available to the top 10 recipients of ODA in 2006 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 1: Total bilateral and UK bilateral ODA to the top 10 recipients of official development assistance in 2006, 2004-06 
			  £ million 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			   Total net bilateral ODA  of which: UK  Total net bilateral ODA  of which: UK  Total net bilateral ODA  of which: UK 
			 Nigeria 171.4 68.8 3,270.1 1,210.7 5,880.3 1,731.1 
			 Iraq 2,460.0 150.1 12,101.3 724.8 4,696.8 110.3 
			 Afghanistan 956.5 122.2 1218.9 121.0 1,365.3 133.9 
			 Sudan 476.4 63.6 830.3 108.1 872.1 117.1 
			 Cameroon 312.7 16.4 186.0 2.5 821.0 92.2 
			 DR Congo 635.8 164.2 569.0 42.7 815.0 76.0 
			 Vietnam 664.3 36.9 700.2 53.2 716.9 44.6 
			 China 885.2 39.4 969.7 30.5 670.3 28.4 
			 Pakistan 216.1 49.6 510.3 34.7 659.4 110.4 
			 Serbia (incl Kosovo) 330.3 5.3 470.3 51.2 639.5 98.1

Developing Countries: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid allocations he has made for 2008-09 according to the reporting conventions established by the International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Act 2006.

Douglas Alexander: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) aid allocations for 2008-09 are available in Annex 2, Table 4, page 245 of the 2008 annual report; "Development: Making it Happen". This publication is available in the Library of the House and online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Human Trafficking: Children

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department to giving to UNICEF to tackle child trafficking in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In 2007-08 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided £21 million in unearmarked core funding to UNICEF. This is used by UNICEF according to the priorities in their medium term strategic plan which includes child protection and specific support to tackle child trafficking.
	In addition, from 2006-09, DFID provided £3 million to the International Labour Organisation for programmes that seek to reduce forced labour, including child trafficking.

India: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what type of support his Department is providing to rural livelihood programmes in India; and how much was allocated to support these programmes in 2007-08.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports rural livelihoods programmes in partnership with the State Governments of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. We completed our programme with the Andhra Pradesh Government in December 2007. Our support includes both financial aid, disbursed through the state governments, and technical assistance.
	The financial spend on rural livelihoods programmes during 2007-08 was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Andhra Pradesh 6.1 
			 Orissa 6.8 
			 Madhya Pradesh 8.0 
			 West Bengal 4.6 
			 Total 25.5

India: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department on aid for India's universal elementary programme since 2006.

Douglas Alexander: DFID India has spent £103.6 million since 2006 in support of the Indian Government's flagship "Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan" (SSA) universal elementary education programme: £50 million in 2006-07; and £53.6 million in 2007-08.

Iraq: Reconstruction

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been contributed by his Department to complete infrastructure projects that supply water and power to people in Southern Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: Since March 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent £90 million on infrastructure regeneration projects in southern Iraq. By the end of this year, these projects will have improved power and water supplies to over one million people in Basra.
	Through the UK-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Basra DFID's technical assistance has helped the Basra Provincial Council to access $350 million of central Government funding in 2008 (after receiving none in 2005), which it is using to take forward more than 300 local reconstruction projects to rebuild infrastructure and provide essential services—including the supply of water and power—to the people of Southern Iraq.

Moldova: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what organisations were involved in the preparation of the sector-wide approach to aid for the social assistance sector in Moldova.

Douglas Alexander: A sector-wide approach (SWAp) to aid in the social assistance sector in Moldova is under preparation, led by the Social Protection Co-ordination Group chaired by the Government of Moldova. This group includes donors such as the Department for International Development (DFID), the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), the EC, UNICEF and the World Bank. We expect NGOs and local government organisations to be involved in discussions in due course. DFID is supporting the development of this SWAp through a £3.3 million project on social assistance which we fund jointly with SIDA.

Nepal: Roads

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated to support the building of rural roads fit for a post-conflict environment in Nepal.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported the roads sector in Nepal throughout the conflict period. Since 2000 DFID has spent £42 million through our Rural Access programme and Rural and Rural Community Infrastructure Works programmes. The underlying rationale for this support is that roads provide people with the means to connect to markets, improve their incomes and escape poverty sustainably. According to the World Bank, the increased connectivity provided through this support has been a major factor in reducing poverty in Nepal from 43 per cent. to 31 per cent. in the past ten years. The economic rate of return for these investments is estimated at between 21 per cent. and 38 per cent.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's programme to increase micro-financing in Pakistan will be called; and how much has been allocated to implement the programme.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) will provide financial support of up to £50 million over five years to Pakistan's Financial Inclusion Programme which will be implemented by the State Bank.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department provided for Pakistan in 2007, broken down by programme.

Douglas Alexander: The Department spent a total of almost £99 million on programmes in Pakistan in 2007. The ten largest programmes in 2007 are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Project  £ 
			 Poverty reduction budget support 30,000,000 
			 Earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation programme 17,500,000 
			 National health facility—Budget support 7,500,000 
			 Earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation programme 5,491,766 
			 Improve citizen engagement through devolution 5,000,000 
			 Devolved social services programme 4,916,421 
			 Polio eradication initiative 2007 3,500,000 
			 Contraceptive social marketing 2,933,285 
			 Rural support programme network phase 2 4,432,665 
			 Faisalabad devolution project 2,097,634

Palestinian Authority

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who has contributed funds to the Palestinian Authority Office of the President to support its capacity and institution building plan; and how much the UK has contributed.

Douglas Alexander: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom jointly fund a £2.7 million capacity building and institutional development programme for the Office of the President. This supports the President to deliver reforms. The UK is contributing £750,000 over a period of two years and has so far disbursed £187,500.

South Asia: Childbirth

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what records he holds on the changes in percentage of skilled birth attendants assisting in births since 2000 in the South Asia region.

Douglas Alexander: The increase in the proportion of births attended by skilled attendants in South Asian countries is as follows:
	
		
			  Skilled birth attendant rates 
			   Percentage 
			  India  
			 1998-99 43 
			 2005-06 47 
			  Bangladesh  
			 1999-2000 12 
			 2006 20 
			   
			  Pakistan  
			 1990-91 19 
			 2005-06 54 
			   
			  Nepal  
			 2001 11 
			 2006 19 
			  Source:  Demographic Health Surveys in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal; National Family Health Survey in India; and WHO estimates

South Asia: Children

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the UK has allocated to the South Asia region to reduce mortality amongst under five-year-olds.

Douglas Alexander: DFID provides support to strengthen health services in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh in the South Asia region. This support includes initiatives to reduce mortality amongst under five-year-olds.
	In India, DFID support to the national Reproductive and Child Health programme and to four State level health programmes that include health totalled £55 million in 2007-08.
	In Pakistan, £18.7 million was provided to support maternal and newborn health in 2007-08 and a further £15 million to support seven national programmes that included child health.
	In Nepal, DFID support to strengthened health systems including child health initiatives totalled £17.3 million between 2005 and 2008.
	In Bangladesh, DFID has provided £1.1 million through UNFPA for a joint UN programme on maternal and child health, and a total of £37.5 million in the last three years for the national health sector programme, which includes services to address under-five mortality.

South Asia: Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms are in place to encourage progress towards achieving universal primary education in the South Asia region; and what assessment he has made of the steps necessary to meet this goal.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development has major ongoing programmes of support for universal primary education in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, and is currently developing a large programme of support in Pakistan where progress lags far behind. Our support in each country forms (or will form in the case of Pakistan) part of joint-donor support to national strategies and programmes for "Education for All": these include increasing and ensuring greater equity of access to schools, improving the quality of children's learning experience and strengthening the overall management of education systems. We support improvements to, and actively engage in, monitoring so we and partner Governments are better able to measure progress and identify continuing challenges.
	As a result of these national programmes, India has enrolled an additional 27 million children in primary schools since 2003; primary enrolment in Nepal stood at 87 per cent. in 2006, and there has been an 11 per cent. increase in enrolment between 2000 and 2005 in Bangladesh. Each of these three countries have also made significant progress on educating girls: Bangladesh has achieved gender parity; Nepal and India are close. Improved monitoring enables us to work with Government and others to meet remaining challenges. Despite the considerable progress noted in enrolment, achievement of universal primary education in South Asia remains threatened particularly by high drop out rates, low levels of learning achievement and inclusion of the poorest. These issues now receive increased attention in national education plans.

South Asia: Environment Protection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the obstacles to the millennium development goal for the reversal of deforestation in South Asia; and what steps are being taken by his Department to overcome these obstacles.

Douglas Alexander: There is no millennium development goal for the reversal of deforestation in South Asia.

South Asia: HIV Infection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to improve recording of data relating to HIV infection in the South Asia area.

Douglas Alexander: Within the South Asia Region, DFID has been supporting the collection of improved data on HIV infections in India and in Pakistan.
	In India, DFID supported the third National Family Health Survey in 2005-06 which included community based HIV testing for the first time and provided improved national estimates of HIV infection. DFID is also supporting the use of new and more reliable technology for HIV testing to assess HIV status, through our five year support for the National AIDS Control Programme Phase Three (2007-12).
	In Pakistan, DFID has supported consultancy studies from 2004-06 to better understand the risk of HIV infection among key population groups.

South Asia: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes will be overseen by the South Asia Division in his Department in 2008.

Douglas Alexander: In 2008, South Asia Division will manage country based programmes in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. We also have a small team in London working on regional issues and a joint DFID, FCO and MOD section in Sri Lanka focused on efforts to secure peace.
	For further information on specific programmes, please refer to DFID's annual report 2008 "Development: Making It Happen 2008" available on our website.

South Asia: Tuberculosis

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent in the South Asia region to combat tuberculosis in each of the last three years; and what his assessment is of the performance of programmes receiving such funds.

Douglas Alexander: Within the South Asia region, DFID has provided support specifically targeted at tuberculosis control in India, Nepal and Pakistan.
	In India, DFID contributed £9.9 million, £8.4 million and £8.3 million in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 respectively to the national tuberculosis control programme. The MDG (Millennium Development Goal) targets for tuberculosis control are 70 per cent. case detection and 85 per cent. cure rates. These were reached in India in 2007.
	In Nepal, DFID provided £1.7 million to the national TB programme between 2005 and 2007. MDG targets were reached in 2005 and performance has since been maintained.
	In Pakistan, DFID supports a set of seven national health programmes, one of which is tuberculosis control. £15 million was spent annually on the seven programmes from 2005 to 2008. The MDG targets were reached in 2007.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK plans to contribute to the annual budget of the World Food Programme Humanitarian Service in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development provides humanitarian support to United Nations agencies in Sudan through the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF). This allows the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator to decide on priority funding needs. We have given £40 million to the CHF this year.
	DFID has urged the UN to consider the case for increased CHF funding for the Humanitarian Air Service. As a first step, an additional US $4 million has already been made available and a further grant of US $2 million is under active consideration. We will continue to press the UN on this matter.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international partners on the budget of the World Food Programme Humanitarian Service in Sudan.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has engaged intensively with international partners about the funding problems being experienced by the World Food Programme's Humanitarian Air Service (HAS) in Sudan. We are encouraging the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) to provide longer term funding for HAS.
	In addition, DFID has urged the UN to consider the case for increased funding for the HAS. As a first step, an additional US$4m has already been made available and a further grant of US$2 million is under active consideration. These additional funds come from the Common Humanitarian Fund for Sudan, to which DFID has contributed £40 million this year.

Zimbabwe: Asylum

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of Zimbabwean refugees in neighbouring countries; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Current estimates indicate around 1.4 million Zimbabweans have fled to neighbouring states; the vast majority (around one million) to South Africa, with Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and Malawi taking the remainder. However, the true numbers are almost impossible to obtain, particularly as many travel illegally. The United Nations High Commission for refugees classifies the vast majority of these people as economic migrants rather than refugees.

Zimbabwe: Food Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has of the numbers of people in Zimbabwe dependent on food aid.

Douglas Alexander: The World Food programme estimates that around 300,000 people will be dependent on food aid this month in Zimbabwe. However, many people are currently surviving on the recent harvest. With the start of the hungry season in August, numbers requiring food aid are predicted to increase to a peak of around £4.1 million in January 2009. These figures reflect food aid needs only; they do not account for other forms of humanitarian assistance.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of Zimbabweans who will be affected by the Zimbabwean government's decision to restrict the activities of international aid organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that around 1.5 million people are being affected by the Zimbabwe Government's suspension of NGO activity in Zimbabwe. If the suspension extends into July and beyond, this number will rise. The longer the suspension goes on, the more serious the impact on relief efforts. WFP's main feeding programme is due to scale up from August and should reach around four million people at the height of the hungry season in early 2009. Absence of large scale feeding programmes in the second half of the year could lead to high levels of malnutrition and increased mortality.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to protect aid agency workers in Zimbabwe.

Douglas Alexander: Following a Government of Zimbabwe order suspending NGO activity across the country, DFID have been in touch with all agencies to which it provides funding to make them aware of the potential risks. We continue to press for humanitarian access at the highest levels of the UN. I have spoken personally to John Holmes and Ban Ki-moon.